Tomahawk Country

Game 38 Recap: Washington 7, Atlanta 3

2011-05-11T21:33:00.000-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Storen (3-1)

L: Linebrink (0-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Tommy Hanson (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)

GAME NOTES

- Tommy Hanson was great yet again, and deserved to get his 5th win of the season. His command wasn't there for part of his outing, but he battled through and kept his hot-streak going. His line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 94 pitches-56 strikes, 6 GO/ 8 AO.

- Eric Hinske was 1-3 with his 4th HR of the year.

- Martin Prado and Brian McCann had two hits apiece, with both of McCanns being doubles.

- Chipper Jones was 1-4 with his 12th double of the season.

- Craig Kimbrel came in with a 3-1 lead in the 9th, but was unable to hold the lead. He allowed a squeaker through the left side of the infield, a liner to center and walked Matt Stairs to load the bases. Alex Cora then tied the game with a grounder up the middle. I'm sure there are plenty of people once again worried about "what's wrong" with Kimbrel. Simple case of a hard thrower giving up an ill-timed walk. He didn't get hit hard and struck out the side...his stuff is still there. Discussion over.

- Scott Linebrink allowed 4 runs in the 11th inning, earning the loss. His ERA now stands at 7.50.

NEXT GAME

The Braves try to avoid a sweep tomorrow as Jair Jurrjens faces Jordan Zimmerman. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Moylan Scheduled For Surgery

2011-05-11T18:57:00.000-04:00

RHP Peter Moylan is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back on Tuesday. The operation will be performed by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles.

Via David O'Brien, Moylan says the surgery will require around 12 weeks of recovery.

Moylan is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 7 appearances this year.

Heyward Concerned About Shoulder

2011-05-11T18:47:00.000-04:00

Jason Heyward was held out of the lineup Wednesday, and will likely miss at least the next couple of games. Heyward says he no longer feels numbness in his right hand, but the shoulder is still sore and he may need more than a couple of days of rest.

David O'Brien says Fredi Gonzalez hopes Heyward will be better after day or two and doesn't appear concerned.

Mark Bowman provides this quote: "It feels like it's loose, like there is space in there. There's a lot of discomfort."

Game 38 Preview: Washington Nationals (17-18) @ Atlanta Braves (20-17)

2011-05-11T15:17:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

WASHINGTON

Roger Bernadina - CF

Ian Desmond - SS

Jason Werth - RF

Adam LaRoche - 1B

Wilson Ramos - C

Laynce Nix - LF

Danny Espinosa - 2B

Jerry Hairston Jr. - 3B

John Lannan - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Eric Hinske - RF

Nate McLouth - CF

Tommy Hanson - P

TIME: 7:10 p.m.

TV: SportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

WAS: LHP John Lannan (2-4, 5.09 ERA, 7 starts, 35.1 IP, 19 K, 15 BB)

- Lannan made it through just two innings in his last start, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk against the Phillies. He is now 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA in his last three starts.

- He is 6-4 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 starts against the Braves, including a 4-2 record and 3.60 ERA in 6 starts at Turner Field.

- Lannan last faced the Braves on April 2, earning the win by allowing just one run on five hits in five innings. The win made him 3-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his last three games against the Braves.

- He is 1-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 3 starts at home and 1-2 with a 7.64 ERA in 4 road starts.

- Left-handed hitters are batting .182 with a .641 OPS against Lannan this season, while right-handed hitters are batting .339 with a .891 OPS against him.

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (4-3, 2.63 ERA, 7 starts, 41 IP, 41 K, 11 BB)

- Hanson is coming off a win against the Brewers, in which he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings while recording seven strikeouts. He is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his last three starts and 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA in his last five starts.

- Hanson last faced the Nationals on April 2 allowing four runs (3 earned) over 3.2 innings. He is 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA in seven starts against Washington.

- Hanson has a league-leading .144 opponents average against right-handed hitters while lefties are batting .316 against him with a .874 OPS.

BATTER VS PITCHER

WAS vs Hanson

Bernadina 2-6, 2 K

Desmond 4-14, HR, K

Werth 3-7, 3 2B, 4 BB, 3 K

LaRoche 1-8, 3 K

Ramos 2-2

Nix 1-8, 2B, 3 K

Espinosa 0-1, K

Hairston 3-6

Lannan 0-4, BB, K

Morse 1-4, HR, BB, 2 K

Rodriguez 2-6, 2B, 2 K

ATL vs Lannan

Prado 7-24, 4 2B, BB, 3 K

Gonzalez 6-10, 2B, K

Jones 9-26, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K

McCann 6-24, 2B, 4 BB, 6 K

Uggla 5-15, HR, 2 BB, K

Freeman 1-2

Hinske 0-2

McLouth 4-15, 2 2B, 2 BB, 5 K

Hanson 0-4

Ross 0-9, BB, K

Heyward 1-6, 2 BB, K

Conrad 1-4, 2 K

Mather 0-2, BB

INJURIES

WAS: Stephen Strasburg (60-day DL: Tommy John Surgery, possible September return), Chien-Ming Wang (60-day DL: shoulder fatige, out until at least June), Chad Gaudin (15-day DL: right shoulder inflammation), Elvin Ramirez (15-day DL: shoulder soreness, no timetable), Ryan Zimmerman (15-day DL: abdominal surgery, possible mid-June return), Rick Ankiel (sprained right wrist: 15-day DL, no timetable)

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: back surgery, hopeful July return), Jason Heyward (scratched, sore right shoulder, day-t0-day)

Heyward Left Game With Shoulder Injury

2011-05-11T00:15:00.003-04:00

Jason Heyward left Tuesday's game in the 8th inning due to soreness in his right shoulder. He said he's been playing with discomfort since spring training, and it got so bad that he started feeling numbness in his right hand. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI Thursday.

In 134 AB, Heyward has hit just .224 with 7 HR, 14 RBI, 18 BB, 30 K and a .444 SLG. He says the injury has "most definitely" affect his swing.

Game Recap: Washington 7, Atlanta 6

2011-05-10T20:50:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Marquis (4-1)

L: Hudson (4-3)

S: Storen (8)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Martin Prado (2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR)

GAME NOTES

- It was a weird day for Hudson from the get-go. The defense let him down early, and he gave up two homers after having allowed just one homer in his first seven starts. The first four runs he allowed were unearned, with three of them coming on a homer to Laynce Nix. The next three runs came on a homer by Jason Werth. Even more unusual was that Huddy induced only four groundouts. His line: 5IP, 5 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 75 pitches-45 strikes, 4 GO/ 8 AO

- The Braves made things interesting in the 8th with five runs, capped by Dan Uggla's three-run homer to left. Christian Martinez should be commended for his work because a comeback wouldn't have been possible without his three scoreless innings.

- Brooks Conrad doesn't have much to show for it but he's been hitting the ball pretty hard lately. He did so again tonight, just missing a game-tying homer in the 9th.

- Nate McLouth dropped a routine fly-ball in the 4th inning for his first error of the year. It was particularly eye catching because it was hit to McLouth's left, and when the ball reached his glove, Heyward was coming his way with a head full of steam. This is the second or third time there has been some confusion between McLouth and Heyward since the start of spring training and you have to think the memory of last year's collision is still fresh in their minds.

- Martin Prado was 2-4 with two runs and a solo homer.

- Jason Heyward was 0-3 with two K and was replaced by Eric Hinske in the 8th inning.

NEXT GAME

The Braves try to even the series tomorrow and will send Tommy Hanson to the mound to face John Lannan. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Gonzalez Expects To Return Against Nationals

2011-05-10T16:14:00.002-04:00

Mark Bowman, via twitter, says SS Alex Gonzalez expects to return to the lineup tomorrow or Wednesday.

Gonzalez is currently out of the lineup after leaving Sunday's game with a strained groin.

Game Preview: Washington Nationals (16-18) @ Atlanta Braves (20-16)

2011-05-10T14:51:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

WASHINGTON
Roger Bernadina - CF

Ian Desmond - SS

Jason Werth - RF

Adam LaRoche - 1B

Wilson Ramos - C

Jayson Nix - LF

Danny Espinosa - 2B

Jerry Hairston Jr. - 3B

Jason Marquis - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Nate McLouth - CF

Diory Hernandez - SS

Tim Hudson - P

TIME: 7:10 p.m.

TV: SportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

WAS: RHP Jason Marquis (3-1, 3.66 ERA, 6 GS, 39.1 IP, 26 K, 7 BB)

- In his last start, Marquis allowed seven runs (six earned) on ten hits and two walks against the Phillies while recording two strikeouts en route to his first loss of the year.

- He is 2-4 with a 8.00 ERA in 7 starts against the Braves.

- Marquis has a 9-10 record and 4.75 ERA in 51 games (23 starts) in Turner Field.

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (4-2, 2.86 ERA, 7 GS, 50.1 IP, 26 K, 8 BB)

- Hudson is coming off a complete game 1-hitter against the Brewers on May 4.

- Over his last three starts, he has allowed just 4 runs in 23.2 innings.

- Hudson is 11-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 19 starts against the Nationals. He faced them in his first start of the season and allowed just one run over seven innings on three hits, a walk and five strikeouts.

PITCHER VS BATTER

WAS vs Hudson

Bernadina 3-13, 2B, 5 K

Desmond 4-20, 2 BB, 4 K

Werth 7-22, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 5 K

LaRoche 3-12, K

Nix 5-14, 2B, 2 K

Espinosa 1-5, BB K

Hairston 4-19, 2B, 2

Marquis 0-4

Cora 3-13, 2B, 3B, BB K

Rodriguez 16-38, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 2 K

Morse 5-13, BB, 2 K

Stairs 5-6, 2 2B

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, possible out for year)

Game 36 Recap: Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 2

2011-05-08T22:15:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Jurrjens (4-0)

L: Hamels (4-2)

S: Kimbrel (8)

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Freddie Freeman (3-4, 2 R, RBI, HR)

GAME NOTES

- Another day, another gem from Jurrjens. His fastball command wasn't perfect today and he left a couple sliders up in the zone, but apart form that it was easy sailing for JJ. His line: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 91 pitches-54 strikes, 10 GO/7 AO.

- Alex Gonzalez went 1-3 and got Atlanta on the board with a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning. He left the game after the 7th inning due to a slightly strained left groin.
- Freddie Freeman went 3-4 with a homer and two runs. I think we are going to see him go on another hot streak. He looked great last night, though he only got one hit, and he keeps stringing together good ABs. On Saturday he had an 8-pitch AB his first time up and just missed a homer to left, then walked during another 8-pitch AB, then finished his day with a single to right.

- Eric O'Flaherty relieved Jurrjens in the 7th, inducing an inning-ending double play. He has now stranded all 8 of his inherited baserunners.

- Nate McLouth was 1-2 with two walks.

- The Braves defense was outstanding yet again, with a couple of nice plays from Gonzalez and Freeman. I'll admit I was sour on Gonzalez's field work last season, but people suggested he was pressing a little bit and it seems that was the case. He looks relaxed and is making great plays on a nightly basis.

NEXT GAME

The Braves get an off-day tomorrow, then look to keep things rolling against the Nats in their series opener at home on Tuesday. Tim Hudson will go against Jason Marquis. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

Game 36 Preview: Atlanta Braves (19-16) @ Philadelphia Phillies (22-10)

2011-05-08T18:26:00.005-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Nate McLouth - CF

Jair Jurrjens - P

PHILADELPHIA

Jimmy Rolilns - SS

Shane Victorino - CF

Placido Ploanco - 3B

Ryan Howard - 1B

Ben Francisco - RF

Raul Ibanez - LF

Wilson Valdez - 2B

Dana Sardinha - C

Cole Hamels - P

TIME: 8:10 p.m.

TV: ESPN

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Jair Jurrjens (3-0, 1.52 ERA, 4 GS, 29.2 IP, 18 K, 5 BB)

- In his last start, Jurrjens held the Brewers to two runs on seven hits in 7.2 innings while recording four strikeouts.

- JJ has a quality start in each of his four outings and has not walked more than two in a single game this season.

- In nine starts against Philadelphia, he is 3-3 with a 2.56 ERA, including one start in 2010 when he allowed three runs over 6 innings.

- Jurrjens has made five starts at Citizens Bank in his career and is 2-1 with a 1.87 ERA.

PHI: LHP Cole Hamels (4-12, 2.66 ERA, 6 GS, 40.2 IP, 40 K, 10 BB)

- Hamels is coming off a complete game against the Nats, in which he allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six.

- In the five starts since his opening day stinker against the Mets, he is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA with 37 K in 38 innings.

- Hamels is 10-5 with a 3.72 ERA in 20 career starts against Atlanta, including a 2-1 record and 3.97 ERA in five starts in 2010.

BATTER VS PITCHER

ATL vs Hamels

Prado 10-35 (.286), 3 2B, HR, BB, 3 K

Heyward 2-7, BB, K

Jones 9-27, 4 2B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 3 K

McCann 12-40 (.300), 6 2B, HR, 5 BB, 7 K

Uggla 6-40 (.150), 2B, HR, 4 BB, 12 K

Freman 1-3, K

Gonzalez 3-15, 2B, HR, BB, 6 K

McLouth 2-9, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K

Jurrjens 1-6, BB, 5 K

Mather 3-6, HR, K

Conrad 0-3, BB K

PHI vs Jurrjens

Rollins 4-26, 2 2B, 3B, 3 BB

Victorino 5-25, 3 BB, 5 K

Howard 7-25, 3B, HR, 2 BB, K

Ibanez 2-11, 2B, HR, 4 BB, K

Valdez 4-6, BB

Sardinha 0-2

Gload 0-4

Orr 0-4, K

Schneider 2-8, 2B

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

PHI: Brad Lidge (60-day DL, strained rotator cuff, likely out until mid-June), Roy Oswalt (15-day DL, lower back inflammation, possible return 6/13), Chase Utley (15-day DL, right knee tendinitis, possible May return), Jose Contreras (15-day DL, flexor pronator strain, likely late May retrun), Joe Blanton (15-day DL, right elbow inpingement, scheduled return May 9), Carlos Ruiz (15-day DL, lower back tightness, possible return 5/13)

Teheran Optioned to Gwinnett, Hernandez Recalled

2011-05-08T18:22:00.002-04:00

The Braves optioned RHP Julio Teheran to Triple-A Gwinnett Sunday, and recalled INF Diory Hernandez.

Theheran made his major league debut against the Phillies yesterday, and allowed 3 runs in 4.2 innings.

Hernandez has hit .258 in 89 AB in Gwinnett with 5 doubles, 3 HR, 15 RBI and .703 OPS.

Game Recap: Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 0

2011-05-07T21:05:00.002-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Kendrick (2-2)

L: Teheran (0-1)

S: Madson (3)

GAME NOTES

- Julio Teheran made it to Atlanta by pounding the strike zone with his great stuff at every level in which he pitched. His major league debut was a different story. Teheran didn't have command of his breaking stuff and the Phillies weren't chasing, so he was forced to throw a lot of fastballs in hitters counts. As a result, Philadelphia managed to get some good swings against him and work some counts, chasing him out of the game with two out in the fifth inning. His line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K, 86 pitches-51 strikes, 5 GO/ 8 AO.

- The run Teheran allowed in the second inning was the first earned run allowed by an Atlanta starter in 30.1 innings.

- Joe Mather hit a pinch-hit double off the wall in left for his first hit in an Atlanta uniform.

- Freddie Freeman was the only Braves player to reach twice, going 1-2 with a walk. McCann and Uggla also recorded a hit apiece.

- The bullpen did a great job of keeping the Braves in the game tonight, allowing just a hit and a walk (both by Gearrin) in 3.1 innings while recording two strikeouts.

- Martin Prado had his first real defensive gem in left field, by robbing Victorino of extra bases with a full layout.

NEXT GAME

The Braves look to take the series as Jair Jurrjens faces Cole Hamels. Game time is 8:00 p.m.

Game 34 Preview: Atlanta Braves (19-15) @ Philadelphia Phillies (21-10)

2011-05-07T11:54:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA
Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Nate McLouth - CF

Julio Teheran - P

PHILADELPHIA

Jimmy Rollins - SS

Shane Victorino - CF

Placido Polanco - 3B

Ryan Howard - 1B

Ben Francisco - RF

Raul Ibanez - LF

Pete Orr - 2B

Brian Schneider - C

Kyle Kendrick - P

TIME: 7:10 p.m.

TV: SportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Julio Teheran (AAA: 3-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 starts, 25 K, 8 BB, 30 IP)

- Teheran is making his major league debut, and will be then youngest (20 years, 100 days) Braves pitcher to do so since Steve Avery in 1990.

PHI: RHP Kyle Kendrick (1-2, 2.08 ERA, 8 games, 0 starts, 2 K, 8 BB, 13 IP)

- Kendrick will be making his first start of the season. He was 11-10 as a starter last season with a 4.81 ERA in 31 starts.

- He is 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 11 career games (9 starts) against Atlanta. Last season he shutout the Braves over 8 innings on April 20, then held them to one run over 7 innings on June 20. He again faced the Braves on his final start of the year, October 1, and allowed two runs in 5 innings. Over the three starts he was 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA wkth 8 K and 7 BB in 20 IP.

BATTER VS PITCHER

ATL vs Kendrick

Prado 5-8, K

Heyward 1-8, 2 BB, K

Jones 7-18, 3 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 2 K

McCann 7-23, 2B, HR, 4 BB

Uggla 6-24, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K

Freeman 0-1

Gonzalez 0-6, K

McLouth 4-14, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 K

Hinske 0-4 K

Conrad 1-3

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

Braves Call Up Teheran, Option Hicks

2011-05-06T23:12:00.003-04:00

The Braves optioned SS Brandon Hicks to Triple-A Gwinnett and called up RHP Julio Teheran Friday night. Teheran is scheduled to make his major league debut Saturday against the Phillies.

Teheran is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 5 starts this year. He has 25 K, 8 walks and 0 HR allowed in 30 IP.

Hicks was just 1-10 this season and is 1-15 in his big league career. SS Diory Hernandez is likely to get called up if Teheran is optioned back to Gwinnett after the game Saturday.

Derek Lowe Left Game With Blister On Right Foot

2011-05-06T23:08:00.002-04:00

Derek Lowe left Friday night's game with what he described as a blister on the ball of his right foot. Lowe was seen shaking his right leg and foot throughout the game, and while pitching to the last two batters he faced it was apparent he was in pain.

Lowe didn't allow a hit until Shane Victorino lined a single into left to lead off the 7th inning. Placido Polanco followed with a ground-rule double to center, ending Lowe's outing.

Game 34 Recap: Braves 5, Phillies 0

2011-05-06T21:13:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Lowe (3-3)

L: Lee (2-3)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Derek Lowe (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)

GAME NOTES

- There's really not much else to say about this pitching staff. Every game it's the same thing...dominance. He used his changeup extremely well tonight and had good location on both his slider and sinker. Lowe took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before Victorino led off with a single to left. In the 5th and 6th innings, it was apparent there was something wrong with Lowe's right foot or leg. He was limping and shaking the leg with increasing regularity, and in the 7th it was obvious he shouldn't be out there. He was left in to face Victorino with the no-hitter in tact. But after the Phillies first hit, Lowe was still in the game to face Polanco who proceeded to hit a ground-rule double. Lowe was replaced with Howard coming up and two runners in scoring postioin. Another gem for the rotation, but it may have come at a price. Hopefully Lowe is okay. His line: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 97 pitches - 60 strikes, 8 GO/ 6 AO.

- As previously mentioned, Eric O'Flaherty was brought in to relieve Lowe with two runners in scoring postion, no outs and Ryan Howard at the plate. O'Flaherty proceeded to strike out the side, leaving the Phils with a goose egg on the board.

- Alex Gonzalez was 3-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

- Martin Prado and Chipper Jones were both 2-5 with an RBI and run scored.

- Brian McCann was 2-4 with two doubles.

- Braves hitters struck out 18 times tonight. 16 of those Ks were courtesy of Cliff Lee. Weird game this baseball...

- Another ho-hum job by O'Flaherty, Venters and Kimbrel shutting the door. A combined 6 K and 1 BB in 3 scoreless innings to end the game.

NEXT GAME

Julio Teheran makes his major league debut tomorrow as the Braves look to extend their 6-game winning streak. He will be opposed by Kyle Kendrick. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Marek Headed For Tommy John Surgery

2011-05-06T20:32:00.002-04:00

Gwinnett RHP Stephen Marek is scheduled to have Tommy John surgery next Wednesday and will miss the rest of the season.

Marek is 0-1 with 2 saves, a 3.88 ERA, 16 K, and 4 BB in 10.2 IP

___

This is highly unfortunate for the Braves. With Moylan likely out for a long while, Marek would have been one of the candidates to get called up. After a rather unimpressive season and a half in the Braves organization, he put things together last season and had been absolutely filthy in 8 of his 10 appearances this season.

Moylan Likely Facing Surgery

2011-05-06T19:58:00.004-04:00

RHP Peter Moylan, currently on the 15-day DL with a bulging disc in his lower back, is likely facing surgery that could potentially end his season. He had an exam in Atlanta in the middle of the week and has an exam scheduled on Monday with spine surgeon Robert Watkins.

Moylan is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 7 appearances this season. He has 6 K and 2 BB in 4.2 IP.

The Braves are 13-7 since Moylan was placed on the DL.

Teheran To Make Debut Saturday Against Phillies

2011-05-06T18:48:00.005-04:00

The Braves announced that RHP Julio Teheran, one of baseball's top pitching prospects, will make his major league debut on Saturday against the Phillies. After Wednesday's rainout, the Braves would have had to either pitch someone on short rest, or call up someone from the minors. Atlanta opted to make a roster move, and will call up their top prospect to face a team tied for the best record in baseball.

Teheran has gone 3-0 in 5 starts at Triple-A Gwinnett this season with a 1.80 ERA. He has 25 K and 8 BB in 30 IP and won International League pitcher of the week last week. Pitching at three levels between A- and AA last season, he went 9-8 overall with a 2.59 ERA in 24 starts.

Teheran will likely be sent back to Gwinnett after his start.

UPDATE: The Phillies orginally planned to have Roy Oswalt start on Saturday, but announced he has been placed on the DL and they will go with Kyle Kendrick instead.

___

I'm a little surprised by this, though I probably shouldn't be. The Braves needed a starter and Teheran has been Gwinnett's best starter so far this season. Mike Minor is a close second, but he pitched yesterday while tomorrow is Teheran's scheduled day to pitch.

Honestly, I'm more excited about this debut than I was about both Heyward's and Freeman's. It feels a little different because we only have 24 hours to anticipate it and he's going to be headed back down to Triple-A after the game, but it's been a while since the Braves had a pitching prospect this highly touted.

If Teheran has a good performance Saturday, this could also play into the Braves' decision on potentially trading Derek Lowe this summer.

Lots to be excited about this weekend in Philly.

Heyward Switches Agents

2011-05-06T18:45:00.003-04:00

OF Jason Heyward will no longer be represented by Career Sports Entertainment as he has switched to agent Casey Close

Game 33 Recap: Atlanta 2, Milwaukee 1

2011-05-05T21:58:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Venters (2-0)

L: Loe (2-3)

S: Kimbrel (7)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Brandon Beachy (6 IP, 1 R (unearned), 4 H, 1 BB, 9 K)

GAME NOTES

- This isn't going to last all year, as eventually the rotation will cool off, but boy is this fun to watch. Brandon Beachy followed suit tonight and came out firing fastballs past the Brewers hitters. He struck out seven of the first ten batters he faced. Beachy tied a career-high with 9 K on the evening. Milwaukee managed to score off him, but it was due to an error by Eric Hinske. What is really impressive is that Beachy did this without any consistency in his breaking pitches. He got a couple of strikeouts with his curve and slider, but he was all over the place with the two pitches for most of the night. His line: 6 IP, 4 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 9 K, 94 pitches - 60 strikes, 4 GO/ 4 AO.

- Martin Prado hit a go-ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead. He went 2-4 on the day with a double as well as the homer.

- Eric Hinske, getting the start after Freeman played 18 innings yesterday, and got the Braves on the board with a solo homer in the 2nd inning. He went 2-4.

- Chipper Jones was 2-4 with two doubles.

- O'Flaherty, Venters and Kimbrel shut the door in the final three innings with two strikeouts apiece.

NEXT GAME

The Braves travel to Philadelphia to face a red hot Phillies team. Cliff Lee is scheduled to take the mound for Philly while Atlanta sends Derek Lowe to the bump. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Game 33 Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (13-17) @ Atlanta Braves (17-15)

2011-05-05T15:40:00.005-04:00

LINEUPS

MILWUAKEE

Rickie Weeks - 2B

Nyjer Morgan - CF

Ryan Baun - LF

Prince Fielder - 1B

Casey McGehee - 3B

Yuniesky Betancourt - SS

Corey Hart - RF

Jonathan Lucroy - C

Shaun Marcum - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Eric Hinske - 1B

Nate McLouth - CF

Brandon Hicks - SS

Brandon Beachy - P

TIME: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Peachtree TV, FoxSportsSouth, MLBNetwork

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

MIL: RHP Shaun Marcum (3-1, 2.21 ERA, 6 starts, 36.2 IP, 34 K, 11 BB)

- Marcum is coming off a scoreless outing against the Astros, allowing just three hits and two walks over seven innings while recording six strikeouts.

- Three of his last four starts have been games in which he didn't allow an earned run.

- Marcum faced the Braves on April 7, and held them to two runs over six innings while earning the win.

- He is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 2 starts at home and has a 2-1 record and 1.09 ERA in 4 starts on the road.

ATL: RHP Brandon Beachy (1-1, 3.47 ERA, 6 starts, 36.1 IP, 36 K, 10 BB)

- Beachy is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals, allowing 2 runs over 7 innings on 3 hits, a walk and 5 strikeouts.

- In his last 3 starts, Beachy is 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA. Over that span he has allowed 4 runs, 8 hits, 3 walks while striking out 19 in 19 IP.

- Beachy has faced Milwuakee once in his career, which came in his first start this season. He held them to 1 run on 4 hits and a walk over 6 innings. He struck out 7.

- Beachy has a 1-1 record and 1.98 ERA in 5 starts on the road, while owning an 0-2 record and 4.88 ERA in 4 starts at home.

BATTER VS PITCHER

MIL vs Beachy

Weeks 2-3, HR

Morgan 1-3, BB, K

Braun 0-3, K

Fielder 0-2

McGehee 0-2, BB, K

Betancourt 2-3, 2B

Gomez 0-3, 2 K

ATL vs Marcum

Prado 1-3, K

Heyward 0-3, 2 K

McCann 1-3

Uggla 1-2

Hinke 1-9, 2 BB, 5 K

Gonzalez 0-4

McLouth 1-3

Freeman 1-2

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

MIL: Manny Parra (15-day DL, Facet joint injury in back/ sprained UCL/ strained flexor tendon , not timetable for return), Takashi Saito (15-day DL, strained left oblique, likely return mid/late-June), Erick Almonte (7-day DL, concussion), Zack Braddock (15-day DL, sleep disorder, no timetable)

Game 32 Recap: Atlanta 8, Milwuakee 0

2011-05-04T22:45:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hudson (4-2)

L: Greinke (0-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Tim Hudson (9 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 6 K)

GAME NOTES

- After watching Tommy Hanson pitch very well in the first game of the doubleheader, Tim Hudson came out and had the best pitching performance by the Braves this year. If not for Rickie Weeks, Hudson may have had a perfect game as Weeks was the only one to reach base. Hudson gave up a leadoff double in the 4th and walked Weeks with two out in the 9th. Hudson threw first pitch strikes to all but four hitters. The game is his first 9-inning complete game since May 2 2008 and his third 1-hit complete game. His line: 9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 102 pitches-74 strikes, 15 GO/ 6 AO.

- Nate McLouth had himself a monster day. He reached base in every at-bat today, going 5-5 with 3 walks, a homer, a double, 4 runs and 2 RBI.

- Dan Uggla was 3-4 with 2 runs, an RBI and a walk.

- David Ross went 2-5 with a run scored.

- Alex Gonzalez was 2-5 with 2 runs.

NEXT GAME

The Braves go for the 4-game sweep tomorrow, sending Brandon Beachy to the mound to face Shaun Marcum. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Game 31 Recap: Atlanta 8, Milwaukee 3

2011-05-04T18:59:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hanson (4-3)

L: Estrada (1-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Martin Prado (3-5, 3 R, 3 RBI)

GAME NOTES

- Tommy Hanson was outstanding yet again. This rotation is getting nowhere near the attention they deserve, as the starters are turning in gems game after game. Hanson gave up 2 runs, but he only gave up a couple hard hit balls. He was credited with 62 strikes, but he probably threw a total of around 77-80 pitches in the strike zone. Gary Cederstrom had a very small strike zone today, though at least it was called both ways. Hanson gave up a solo homer to Prince Fielder in the 4th, which was the first homer he had given up in 40.1 innings. Tommy also had his first hit of the season, which was only the 2nd hit by Atlanta pitchers this season. His line: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 101 pitches-62 strikes, 4 GO/ 7 AO.

- Martin Prado had a big game, going 3-5, scoring 2 runs, and driving in 3 of the Braves first 4 runs. He extended his hitting streak to 7 games.

- Nate Mclouth reached base 3 times, going 2-3 with a double, walk and 2 runs.

- Freddie Freeman wen 2-4 with a walk.

Medlen Throws 30-Pitch Bullpen Session

2011-05-04T01:36:00.003-04:00

According to Mark Bowman, RHP Kris Medlen threw 30 pitches during a bullpen session on Tuesday, even mixing in 6 changeups. Bowman says Medlen was encouraged following the session.

Medlen is currently on the 60-day DL while recovering from Tommy John Surgery and is hoping to return sometime in August.

Braves - Brewers Postponed

2011-05-03T20:58:00.003-04:00

Tonights game between the Brewers and Braves has been postponed. The game has been rescheduled for tomorrow at 4:00 as part of a doubleheader. The second game will start 30 minutes after the first one ends.

Game 31 Preview: Milwuakee Brewers (13-15) @ Atlanta Braves (15-15)

2011-05-03T15:40:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

MILWUAKEE

Rickie Weeks - 2B

Nyjer Morgan - CF

Ryan Braun - LF

Prince Fielder - 1B

Casey McGehee - 3B

Mark Kotsay - RF

Jonathan Lucroy - C

Craig Counsell - SS

Marco Estrada - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Nate McLouth - CF

Tommy Hanson - P

TIME: 4:10 p.m.

TV: Peachtree TV, FoxSportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

MIL: RHP Marco Estrada (1-0, 3.00, 5 games, 3 starts, 21 IP, 18 K, 6 BB)

- Estrada is coming off the longest outing of his career. He allowed 2 runs over 7 innings against the Reds while throwing 103 pitches.

- Estrada has faced the Braves 4 times in his career, but has made only one start against them coming on April 6 hen he allowed 4 runs over 6 innings. He allowed 8 hits, walked one and struck out 4.

- In 27 career games, Estrada has held RH-hitters to a .203/.260/.398 line while lefties have hit .326/.437/.605 against him.

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (3-3, 2.57 ERA, 6 starts, 35 IP, 34 K, 9 BB)

- Hanson is coming off his best start of the season, throwing 7 shutout innings against the Padres. He allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk and struck out 10.

- Hanson is 1-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 5 career games against the Brewers. He faced them on April 7 and allowed 3 runs in 5.1 IP

- In his last 4 starts, he is 3-1` with a 1.38 ERA and 31 K in 26 IP.

BATTER VS PITCHER

MIL vs Hanson

Weeks 0-10, 3 K

Braun 6-14, 2B, 4 HR, K

Fielder 4-13, 2B, BB, 3 K

McGehee 3-9, 2B, K

Kotsay 1-2, 2B, BB

Counsell 2-8, 2B

Hart 2-7, BB, K

Betancourt 0-3

Gomez 2-5, 2 K

ATL vs Estrada

Prado 1-4, 2B, K

Heyward 1-3, HR

Jones 2-5, 2B

McCann 3-4

Uggla 0-4, BB, K

Freeman 0-3, K

Gonzalez 1-3

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

MIL: Zack Greinke (15-day DL: Fractured left rib, scheduled return Wednesday), Manny Parra (15-day DL, Facet joint injury in back, could return soon), Takashi Saito (15-day DL, strained left oblique, likely return mid/late-June), Erick Almonte (7-day DL, concussion), Zack Braddock (15-day DL, sleep disorder, no timetable)

Marek Placed On DL With Elbow Inflammation

2011-05-03T12:23:00.004-04:00

The Gwinnett Braves placed RHP Stephen Marek on the DL with right elbow inflammation on Wednesday. The move is retroactive to May 2.

In his first 8 games of the season, Marek was dominant going 0-0 with 2 saves while allowing 0 runs, 5 hits, 0 walks and recording 14 K in 9.1 IP.

In his 2 games since, he has gone 0-1 while allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 3 hits and 4 walks in 1.1 IP.

RHP Jaye Chapman was promoted from Double-A Mississippi to Gwinnett to take Marek's place on the roster. RHP Eliecer Cardenas was promoted from Lynchburg to Mississippi.

____

A lot of people were pushing for Marek to make the team out of spring training and that demand increased over the weekend through the big club's bullpen struggles. I'm sure he'll be getting an MRI and hopefully it will reveal nothing more than inflammation.

Whatever the case is with his elbow, we won't see him in Atlanta for a while.

Game 30 Recap: Atlanta 6, Milwuakee 2

2011-05-02T21:36:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Jurrjens (3-0)

L: Gallardo (2-2)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Alex Gonzalez (2-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B)

GAME NOTES

- Jair Jurrjens was outstanding yet again. The Brewers managed two runs in the thanks to a couple of weak singles and a triple off the glove of McLouth, but that was it. Jurrjens found himself in trouble in the 8th inning after two infield singles put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs and Ryan Braun at the plate, and thanks to a nice pick by Chipper, Jurrjens retired Braun. With Prince Fielder coming to the plate and runners now at 2nd and 3rd, Jurrjens was replaced by Eric O'Flaherty who did a great job of getting out of the inning. JJ had what was probably the best slider he's had all year working tonight and he threw strikes...lots of strikes. 63 of his first 84 pitches were strikes. He threw a 1st-pitch strike to 19 of the first 24 batters he faced. Jurrjens is proving that when he's healthy, he can be as good as anyone in this rotation. His line: 7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 101 pitches-73 strikies, 11 GO/ 8 AO.

- David Ross got the Braves on the board with his 3rd homer of the year. He went 2-4 on the night.

- Alex Gonzalez went 2-4 and had the big knock in the game; a 3-run double down the 3rd base line to give the Braves a 4-2 lead.

- Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla both went 2-4. \

- Kimbrel was back to his old tricks in the 9th. He was able to hit 97 on the gun and hit the corners with consistency. Man, thank God we all got worked up about him over the weekend!

- After an emotional win on Sunday it was good to see the Braves clicking on all cylinders tonight. They played very good defense, the pitching was outstanding and looked good at the plate with 16 baserunners overall.

NEXT GAME

The Braves try to keep things going with Tommy Hanson taking the mound facing Marco Estrada for the Brewers. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Game 30 Preview: Milwaukee Brewers (13-14) @ Atlanta Braves (14-15)

2011-05-02T15:47:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

MILWUAKEE

Rickie Weeks - 2B

Carlos Gomez - CF

Ryan Braun - LF

Prince Fielder - 1B

Casey McGehee - 3B

Corey Hart - RF

Yuneisky Betancourt - SS

Wil Nieves - C

Yovani Gallardo - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Nate McLouth - CF

David Ross - C

Jair Jurrjens - P

TIME: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Peachtree TV, FoxSportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCUP

MIL: RHP Yovani Gallardo (1-1, 5.70 ERA, 6 starts, 36.1 IP, 23 K, 13 BB)

- In his last start, Gallardo allowed 6 runs on 10 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings against the Reds while striking out 3.

- Gallardo faced the Braves on April 5 and threw a 2-hit shutout. Since that game he has gone 1-1 with an 8.86 ERA in 4 starts allowing 35 hits in 21.1 IP.

- He is 3-0 lifetime against the Braves with a 0.96 ERA in 5 starts.

ATL: RHP Jair Jurrjens (2-0, 1.23 ERA, 3 starts, 22 IP, 14 K, 5 BB)

- Jurrjens is coming off his first complete game of the year, allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits against the Padres.

- He is 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 2 starts against the Brewers, with 11 K and 5 walks.

- Jurrjens is 21-13 with a 3.16 ERA in 45 starts at Truner Field.

BATTER VS PITCHER

MIL vs Jurrjens

Weeks 1-3, 2B

Braun 2-7, 3 K

Fielder 2-5, 2B, 2 BB

McGehee 1-3

Hart 1-6, HR, 2 K

Betancourt 1-3

Nieves 0-4, BB, 2 K

Gallardo 0-3

Kotsay 4-6

Counsell 2-4, BB

ATL vs Gallardo

Prado 2-12, 2B, BB

Heyward 0-4, 2 BB, K

Jones 2-9, 2 BB, 2 K

Uggla 2-12, BB, 2 K

Freeman 0-1

Gonzalez 2-8, 2B

McLouth 7-24, 3 BB, 6 K

Ross 0-2, K

Hinske 2-8, 2B, BB, 4 K

Conrad 0-3, K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

MIL: Zack Greinke (15-day DL: Fractured left rib, scheduled return Wednesday), Nyjer Morgan (15-day DL, bruised thigh, scheduled return Tuesday), Manny Parra (15-day DL, Facet joint injury in back, could return soon), Takashi Saito (15-day DL, strained left oblique, likely return mid/late-June), Erick Almonte (7-day DL, concussion)

Teheran Named International League Pitcher of the Week

2011-05-02T13:14:00.002-04:00

RHP Julio Teheran was named the International League's Player of the Week:

Gwinnett right-hander Julio Teheran lived up to his billing as one of baseball's top prospects by winning a pair of starts this week to push his record on the season to 3-0. Teheran tied for the League-lead by striking out 14 batters this week, notching seven punch-outs in each victory. Monday evening in Charlotte, Teheran pitched 8.0 strong innings. He allowed three runs on six hits and a walk in defeating the divisional-rival Knights 4-3. Back home Saturday night against Scranton/WilkesBarre, an unearned run would be the only blemish against Teheran over 6.0 frames. He scattered seven hits and a walk as the Braves cruised to a 4-1 triumph. Now five starts into his Triple-A career, Teheran has an ERA of 1.80, 5th best in the International League.

20 year-old Julio Teheran is currently the youngest player in the International League. Baseball
America rates him as the top prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization. He entered this season with 44 career starts at the lower levels of the minors, owning a record of 13-14 with a 3.20 ERA. Teheran is a native of Cartagena, Columbia.

Game 29 Recap: Atlanta 6, St. Louis 5

2011-05-01T15:17:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Venters (1-0)

L: Franklin (0-3)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Brooks Conrad (1-1, GW RBI-single)

GAME NOTES

- Derek Lowe came out of the gate looking...well...hungover. He allowed three runs in the first and did not look ready to play at all. To his credit, he came back in the second and did a good job of damage control, allowing only one run the rest of the way, but unfortunately that doesn't undo the damage from the first. The bad sign is the four runs allowed. The good sign is that he made the adjustment and kept things from getting out of hand. His line:

- Alex Gonzalez got the Braves on the board with a big two-run homer to left, his 4th of the season.

- Brandon Hicks got his first major league hit, driving in Joe Mather with a single to make the score 4-3.

- Martin Prado got the go ahead single in the 7th with groundball to right field w/runners on the corners.

- George Sherrill came in to relieve Scott Linebrink with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs to face...the pitcher? Yes. Today was the second time this year that Sherrill has come in to solely face the pitcher. He ended the inning with a strikeout, and everybody expected him to stay in the game to pitch the 7th w/two lefties due up next in the order. But instead, Fredi brought in O'Flaherty to pitch to them. A) If Linebrink isn't good enough to face the pitcher then why is he on the team? B) If Sherrill is good enough to face the pitcher (which Linebrink doesn't seem to be) but not good enough to face the next two lefties (when Sherrill's role is a LOOGY) then why is HE on the team? Confusing...

NEXT GAME

The Braves will welcome the Brewers to town as they start a four-game series tomorrow. Yovani Gallardo will face Jair Jurrjens. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Roger McDowell Suspended

2011-05-01T13:00:00.003-04:00

Roger McDowell has been suspended for two weeks and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball. The suspension is retroactive to April 29. McDowell will be required to participate in sensitivity training program.

While I'm still not sure he said everything the fan said he did, I'm a little surprised McDowell didn't get more.

Kimbrel May Get Day Off

2011-05-01T12:34:00.003-04:00

Via David O'Brien's twitter:

#Braves Fredi G. said Kimbrel might be skipped in save situation today, but it would only be 1-day thing, not change in closer situation

While in the grand scheme of things, a win or loss today likely won't make much of a difference; the Braves could really use a W today. After all the drama with McDowell, Lowe and two very disappointing losses, that clubhouse needs something to celebrate. The bottom line is if the Braves have a lead in the ninth, they need to go with whomever gives them the best chance to win.

If this is a physical issue...then fine. But if there is any indication that Kimbrel is somehow affected by back-to-back "rough" outings, and needs an inning in a less pressure-packed situation... well then he has no business occupying the closers role for a playoff caliber team.

Hopefully I'm reading way too much into this and trying way to hard to read between the non-existent lines. Whatever the case, Kimbrel will be fine. He has a tremendous amount of talent and doesn't even have a full year under his belt in the majors. He's going to experience growing pains. Hitters will adjust. Kimbrel will need to adjust.

And he will. This is where spending a month and a half sitting next to Billy Wagner in the bullpen comes in handy. So before the shit-storm starts (we got a preview after the game yesterday), take a breath and remember he's 22-year old rookie who has allowed just 3 runs all season. Before this series he had allowed only six baserunners all season while striking out 14. Kimbrel will be fine.

Game 29 Preview: St.Louis Cardinal (16-11) @ Atlanta Braves (13-15)

2011-05-01T11:16:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

ST LOUIS

Nick Punto - 2B

Colby Rasmus - CF

Albert Pujols - 1B

Matt Holliday - LF

Lance Berkman - RF

David Freese - 3B

Yadier Molina - C

Ryan Theriot - SS

Jamie Garcia - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Joe Mather - 1B

Nate McLouth - CF

Derek Lowe - P

TIME: 1:35 p.m.

TV: FoxSportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

STL: LHP Jamie Garcia (3-0, 2.08, 5 starts, 30.1 IP, 30 K, 9 BB)

- Garcia's last start came against the Astros and was his worst performance so far this season. He allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks while recording 6 strikeouts.

- His lone start against the Braves came April 28, 2010 when he threw 7 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 walk while recording 5 strikeouts. This will be his first start at Turner Field.

ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (2-3, 3.21 ERA, 6 starts, 33.2 IP, 32 K, 11 BB)'

- Lowe is coming off a 6 inning effort against the Padres in which he allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 BB while recording 8 strikeouts.

- He is 1-7 with a 6.85 ERA in 8 career starts against the Cardinals. He faced them once last season and allowed 5 runs over 5 innings.

- Including the postseason, Lowe has allowed 2 earned runs or less in 12 of his last 13 outings dating back to September 8, 2010.

BATTER VS PITCHER

ATL vs Garcia

Prado 0-3

Jones 0-3

Uggla 0-1, 2 BB, K

Gonzalez 0-2

McLouth 1-4

STL vs Lowe

Punto 2-7, 3B, 2 K

Rasmus 0-2, K

Pujols 8-25, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K

Holliday 18-35 (.514), 5 2B, HR, BB, 6 K

Berkamn 8-28, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 4 K

Molina 6-20, 2 BB, 4K
Freese 0-2

Theriot 4-20, 2B, 4 K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

STL: Adam Wainwright (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out for year), Allen Craig (15-Day DL: strained left groin, expected return Monday), Bryan Augentstein (15-Day DL: strained right groin, hopeful for early-May return), Brian Tallet (15-Day DL: fractured right hand, return mid-late May), Skip Schumaker (15-Day DL: strained right biceps, expects early-May return)

Game 28 Recap: St. Louis 3, Atlanta 2

2011-04-30T15:20:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Batista (2-1)

L: Kimbrel (0-1)

S: Salas (2)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Brandon Beachy (7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

GAME NOTES

- Brandon Beachy was simply dominant and has now made three straight outstanding starts. He was in the strike zone all day, and managed to keep Cardinals hitters guessing for most of the day. Beachy held Pujols and Holliday to a combined 0-6, even striking out Pujols with a nasty slider. It's a shame Beachy won't get a win, but it will be an even bigger shame if he doesn't earn the rookie pitcher of the month. His line. 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 97 pitches-66 strikes, 14 AO/2 GO.

- The Braves had a a good opportunity to win it in the 8th. With one out, Heyward hit a double off the wall, then Chipper was walked. McCann hit a bomb to center just shy of the wall and the Uggla hit an absolute rocket right at the 3B. Bad luck strikes again.

- Venters came into the game with runners on 1st and 2nd with no out and Nick Punto at the plate. Punto bunted the runners over, bringing Berkman to the plate w/two in scoring position and 1 out. He struck out Berkman on 3 straight sliders, but couldn't get out of the jam as Djavid Freese poked a two-run single through the right side of the infield.

- Kimbrel gave up the lead in the 9th after a ground ball single by Holliday and a triple by Laird. He seemed to be letting it loose a little more than last night. Holliday just put a good swing on a decent pitch and Laird ripped Kimbrel's one mistake. Tough series so far for the back-end of the 'pen.

- This team is starting to show a concerning inability to put up consistent ABs over the course of an entire game. They'll have one or two great looking innings, but consistency has been lacking for most of the season.

- Fredi Gonzalez was ejected for the first time this year. A.Gonzalez was ejected after arguing balls and strikes and Fredi quickly followed. It's the first time I remember seeing any real emotion this year from Fredi.

- Prado was 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.

NEXT GAME

The Braves try to avoid the sweep tomorrow as Derek Lowe will face Jamie Garcia. game time is 1:35 p.m.

Game 28 Preveiw: St. Louis Cardinals (15-11) @ Atlanta Braves (13-14)

2011-04-30T10:57:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

ST LOUIS

Jon Jay - RF

David Freese - 3B

Albert Pujols - 1B

Matt Holliday - LF

Colby Rasmus - CF

Gerald Laird - C

Daniel Descalso - 2B

Tyler Greene - SS

Jake Westbrook - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Nate McLouth - CF

Brandon Beachy - P

TIME: 1:10 p.m.

TV: FOX

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

STL: RHP Jake Westbrook (2-2, 7.40 ERA, 5 starts, 24.1 IP, 13 K, 16 BB)

- Westbrook is coming off his only quality start of the season when he threw six scoreless innings against the Reds.

- He is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in 2 starts against the Braves, with his last start coming on September 11, 2010 when he allowed 2 runs over 6 innings.
- Westbrook is 0-2 in day games this year (3 starts) with a 12.46 ERA and 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 2 night games.

- Hitters are hitting .381/.500/.524 against him when leading off an inning.

ATL: RHP Brandon Beachy (1-1, 3.68 ERA, 5 starts, 29.1 IP, 31 K, 9 BB)

- Beachy is coming off a no-decision against the Giants when he allowed 2 runs over 6 innings. He has allowed just 2 runs in 12 innings over his last 2 starts with 14 K.

- Right-handed hitters are batting just .191/.257/.368 against him while lefties are batting .263/.333/.500.

- Hitters are batting .379/.419/.655 against him when leading off an inning.

- Beachy is 0-2 with a 5.82 ERA in 3 starts at Turner Field in his career and 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in 5 starts on the road.

BATTER VS PITCHER

STL vs Beachy

(Cardinals hitters haven't accumulated any at-bats against Beachy)

ATL vs Westrbook

Prado 2-2, BB

Heyward 0-2, BB, K

Jones 1-3, 2B, 2 K

McCann 2-3

Uggla 2-3, K

Gonzalez 5-15, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 K

McLouth 1-2, 3B, BB

Hinske 5-12, 2 2B, 2 BB

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

STL: Adam Wainwright (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out for year), Allen Craig (15-Day DL: strained left groin, possible return Monday), Bryan Augentstein (15-Day DL: strained right groin, hopeful for early-May return), Brian Tallet (15-Day DL: fractured right hand, return mid-late May), Skip Schumaker (15-Day DL: strained right biceps, expects early-May return)

Game Recap: St. Louis 5, Atlanta 3

2011-04-29T23:00:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Sanchez (1-0)

L: O'Flaherty (0-1)

S: Motte (1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Nate McLouth (2-4, R, RBI, HR, BB)

GAME NOTES

- Hudson wasn't quite right tonight, but battled through it and gave the Braves a solid performance. None of his pitches were really working, and as the game went on it seemed Timmy was fighting it more and more. In the 6th inning, he grabbed his right hip after throwing a few in the dirt, and did the same when walking off the field when the inning was over. The bottom line is even though he didn't have his best stuff, he put the Braves in a good position to win. His line: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 99 pitches-53 strikes, 11 GO/4 AO.

- Craig Kimbrel blew his second save of the season thanks to a couple of singles and a sac fly. He hasn't struck out any of the last 12 batters he's faced.

- Nate McLouth extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 2-4 night that included a walk and his first homer of the year. He almost made things interesting in the bottom of the 11th with a line drive to the wall, but it was caught by Holliday for the final out of the game.

- Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward had two hits each.

- Chipper Jones went 1-3 with a double, extending his hitting streak to seven games.

NEXT GAME

The Braves will try to even the series as Brandon Beachy faces Jake Westbrook. Game time is 1:10 p.m.

Game 27 Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (14-11) @ Atlanta Braves (13-13)

2011-04-29T14:04:00.005-04:00

LINEUPS

ST LOUIS

Nick Punto - 2B

Colby Rasmus - CF

Albert Pujols - 1B

Matt Holliday - LF

Lance Berkman - RF

Yadier Molina - C

Ryan Theriot - SS

Daniel Descalso - 2B

Chris Carpenter - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jason Heyward - RF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - C

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Nate McLouth - CF

Tim Hudson - P

TIME: 7:35 p.m.

TV: Fox SportsSouth, Peachtree TV, MLB Network

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

PITCHING MATCHUP

STL: RHP Chris Carpenter (0-2, 3.90 ERA, 5 starts, 30 IP, 26 K, 8 BB)

- Carpenter is coming off a six-inning effort against the Reds in which he allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks. He had 6 strike outs.

- He has allowed 2 runs or less in all of his starts this year but one; a 4-inning 8 run stinker against the Diamondbacks.

- Carpenter is 3-3 with a 6.36 ERA in 9 career starts against the Braves. He is 1-3, 8.27 ERA in 4 starts at Turner field.

- The Cardinals' ace faced Atlanta twice last season, the first of those starts coming on April 27 when he allowed 2 runs over 6 innings. The second of those starts was September 10 and the Braves managed to score 8 runs over 5 innings against him.

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (3-2, 3.57 ERA, 5 starts, 35.1 IP, 17 K, 5 BB)

- Hudson is coming off his longest outing since a complete game against the Reds on May 2, 2008. In his last start, Hudson allowed 2 runs on 9 hits in 8.2 innings against the Giants. He recorded 0 walks and 4 strike outs.

- He is 3-3 with a 5.50 ERA in 9 starts against the Cardinals. He went 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA in 2 starts against St. Louis last season.

- Hudson has allowed 7 runs in the first inning this year and 5 runs in the second inning while allowing just 3 runs total in innings 3-9.

HITTER VS PITCHER

STL vs Hudson

Punto 1-5, 2B, K

Rasmus 5-9, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 K

Pujols 12-26, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

Holliday 6-16, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, K

Berkamn 4-12, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K

Molina 2-7, RBI, 5 BB

Theriot 0-9, 2 K

Jay 0-4, 3 K

Freese 0-2, K

ATL vs Carpenter

Prado 3-10, 2 2B, RBI, 2 K

Heyward 1-5, RBI, BB, K

Jones 3-8, 2B, BB, K

McCann 4-12, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K

Uggla 1-6, 2B

Gonzalez 3-25 (.120) , 3 2B, RBI, BB, 5 K

McLouth 5-20, HR, 2 RBI, 4 K

Hinske 0-6, 4 K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-Day DL: Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Pete Moylan (15-day DL: bulging disc in back, probable May return)

Game 13 Recap: Florida 6, Atlanta 5

2011-04-14T21:42:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Sanches (2-0)

L: O'Flaherty (0-1)

S: Nunez (4)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Brian McCann (2-4, HR, 3 RBI)

GAME NOTES

- Brandon Beachy's night was similar to Hudson's the night before as he gave up 4 runs in the first 2 innings. Beachy was throwing plenty of strikes early on, he was just hitting the middle of the zone a bit more than he wanted to and the Marlins made him pay. The rookie right-hander did a great job of settling in and keeping his team in the game over the next 3 innings. His line: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, HR, 104 pitches-66 strikes, 4 GO/4 AO

- Brian McCann hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the 1st. He finished the night 2-4 and the homer was his 2nd of the year.

- Dan Uggla hit his third homer of the year to tie the game in the 4th.

-Freddie Freeman had two ropes in the right-center field gap that could have been doubles, but the Marlins had him played perfectly both times. His swing is really coming around. He did get a double in his first at-bat on a line drive to center that looked like a single but Freddie hustled all the way and beat the throw.

- Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel threw a scoreless inning apiece with two strike outs each.

- Eric O'Flaherty gave up the winning run in the 6th on three straight singles.

NEXT GAME

The Braves begin a weekend series against the Mets starting tomorrow as D.J. Carrosco faces Dereke Lowe.

Game 13 Preview: Florida Marlins (6-5) @ Atlanta Braves (5-7)

2011-04-14T13:29:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

FLORIDA

Chris Coghlan - CF

Omar Infante - 2B

Hanley Ramirez - SS

Mike Stanton - RF

Logan Morrison - LF

Gaby Sanchez - 1B

Greg Dobbs - 3B

John Buck - C

Ricky Nolasco - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzaelz - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Brandon Beachy - P

TV : PTV, FSS, MLB Network

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

TIME: 7:10 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

FLA: RHP Ricky Nolasco (1-0, 2.40 ERA, 2 starts, 15 IP, 6 K, 0 BB)

- Nolasco is coming off his first win of the season, an 8-inning effort against the Astros when he allowed 2 runs on 8 hits. He had 2 K and 0 BB.

- He is 4-6 against Atlanta with a 4.96 ERA, 67 K and 25 BB in 78 IP. He is 2-2 with a 4.95 ERA in 7 career starts at Turner Field.

- Last season was a mixed bag for Nolasco in his games against the Braves. In his first start he allowed 3 runs over 4 innings, then he allowed just 2 runs over 7 innings with 11 K and in his final start of the season he allowed 6 runs over just 2 innings. Overall, he was 1-2 with a 7.62 ERA.

ATL: RHP Brandon Beachy (0-1, 3.75 ERA, 2 starts, 12 IP, 9 K, 3 BB)

- Beachy is coming off a loss to Philadelphia in his last start, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings with 2 K and 2 BB.

- Leadoff hitters are batting .467 (7-15) against him while he has held 2-4 hitters to a .131 (5-38) average.

BATTER VS PITCHERS

ATL vs Nolasco

Prado 5-18, 4 RBI, BB, 4 K

McLouth 3-14, RBI, 4 BB, 5 K

Jones 13-28, 4 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K

McCann 13-36, 3 2B, 5 HR, 15 RBI, BB, 7 K

Heyward 2-4, 3B, BB

Gonzalez 1-2

PHI vs Beachy

Dobbs 0-3, 3 K

INJURIES

FLA: John Baker (60-day DL, Tommy John surgery, out until second half)

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Game 12 Recap: Florida 5, Atlanta 1

2011-04-13T21:22:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Johnson (2-0)

L: Hudson (2-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Chipper Jones (1-3, HR, BB)

(note: I usually go with a Braves player, but would have gone with Johnson if not for Chipper's milestone. Johnson will get enough respect over the next few days so gotta give Larry some love)

GAME NOTES

- Tim Hudson was a tad off in the first third of the game. He had usual movement on his pitches, and was throwing plenty of strikes, but the pitches found the heart of the plate too much. Hudson gave up 5 runs in the third inning, but didn't allow a hit in the next three he pitched.

- Freddie Freeman had the Braves first, a bloop double over the 3B head to break up Johnson's no-hitter in the 8th.

- Chipper Jones hit a homer in the ninth inning, and is now the second switch-hitter in history (Eddie Murray) to reach 2500 hits and 1500 RBI. It was his first homer of the year

NEXT GAME

Atlanta will try to take their first series of the season at home, as RHP Brandon Beachy will face RHP Ricky Nolasco. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Game 12 Preview: Florida Marlins (5-5) @ Atlanta Braves (5-6)

2011-04-13T13:13:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

FLORIDA

Chris Coghlan - CF

Omar Infante - 2B

Hanley Ramirez - SS

Mike Stanton - RF

Logan Morrison - LF

Gaby Sanchez - 1B

Greg Dobbs - 3B

John Buck - C

Josh Johnson - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Tim Hudson - P

TV : PTV, FSS

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

TIME: 7:10 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

FLA: RHP Josh Johnson (1-0, 2.13 ERA, 2 starts, 12.2 IP, 9 K, 2 BB)

- In 15 games (14 starts) against the Braves, Johnson is 4-3 with a 2.48 ERA, 95 K and 35 BB in 87 IP. He is 1-0 at Turner Field in 7 games (6 starts) with a 1.76 ERA and only 1 HR allowed.
- Johnson is coming off a no decision on April 7 when he held the Nationals to 3 R (1 earned) on 4 H with 6 K in 6 innings.

- He allowed just 1 R in 12 innings in Atlanta last season. Johnson last faced Atlanta on September 4th and allowed 2 R in 6 innings with a career-high tying 12 K. He was 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 3 games against the Braves last season.

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (2-0, 1.84 ERA, 2 starts, 14.2 IP, 7 K, BB)

- Hudson is coming off a win against the Phillies in which he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) over 7.2 IP with 2 K and 0 BB.

- He is 9-3 with a 2.84 ERA in 19 starts against Florida. He has 102 K and 37 BB in 117.1 IP.

-Hudson was 1-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 4 starts against Florida last season. Over his last two starts against the Marlins he allowed just 2 R over 13 IP with 17 K.

BATTER VS PITCHER

FLA vs Hudson

Coghlan 6-11, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K

Infante 4-13, RBI, 4 K

Ramirez 11-41, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 10 K

Stanton 2-3

Morrison 0-5, BB, 2 K

Sanchez 2-13, 2B, K

Dobbs 5-19, 7 RBI, BB, 3 K

Johnson 1-2, 2B, RBI, K

Helms 1-7, 2B, BVB, 2 K

Murphy 0-2, K

Bonifacio 2-8, RBI, BB, 2 K

ATL vs Johnson

Prado 6-24, 2 RBI, 5 K

McLouth 1-8, 4 K

Jones 9-30, 2B, RBI, 7 BB, 7 K

McCann 8-34, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 8 K

Heyward 2-4, 2 BB, K

Gonzalez 2-9, 2B, 2 RBI, K

Hinske 1-9, RBI, 5 K

INJURIES

FLA: John Baker (60-day DL, Tommy John surgery, out until second half)

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Game 11 Recap: Atlanta 5, Florida 0

2011-04-12T21:17:00.005-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hanson (1-2)

L: Volstad (0-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Tommy Hanson (7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, W)

GAME NOTES

- For the first time this year, Tommy Hanson pitched like Tommy Hanson. His fastball was resting around 92-93 and he consistently amped it up to 95 MPH. With that velocity and sharp command, he was able to mix in some breaking balls and had his most dominant performance since last fall. A great sign for Tommy, and hopefully something he can build on. His line: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 98 pitches-58 strikes, 12 GO/3 FO.

- Martin Prado was the only Atlanta hitter with multiple hits. He was 2-4 with 2 runs.

- Every Braves' position player had a hit.

- Chipper Jones was 1-2 with 2 RBI and a walk.

- Jason Heyward was 1-3 with walk and a solo shot to center, his third homer of the season.

- Brian McCann was 1-4 and hit his first homer of the year.

- The Braves' defense was about as good as you could expect tonight. Alex Gonzalez may be the best shortstop in the game at pop-up slides on defense. Gonzo made two great plays, Freddie Freeman had a great scoop on the first of those plays, Dan Uggla made a nice running catch in foul territory and Nate McLouth made an outstanding running catch going straight at the wall in center. There have been a couple plays this season that were ruled hits that probably should have been errors, but Atlanta's defense has been a pleasant surprise through the first 11 games.

- This was easily the Braves' best game of the season. Pitching, fielding and hitting were all clicking tonight.

- Tuesday's crowd was the smallest in Turner Field history.

NEXT GAME

The Braves will try to keep things rolling against RHP Josh Johnson and will send RHP Tim Hudson to the mound. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Game 11 Preview: Florida Marlins (5-4) @ Atlanta Braves (4-6)

2011-04-12T14:38:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

FLORIDA

Chris Coghlan - CF

Omar Infante - 2B

Hanley Ramirez - SS

Mike Stanton - RF

Gaby Sanchez - 1B

Logan Morrison - LF

John Buck - C

Greg Dobbs - 3B

Chris Volstad - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Tommy Hanson - P

PITCHING MATCHUP

FLA: RHP Chris Volstad: (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 1 start, 5 IP, K, 4 BB)

- 2010 stats: 12-9, 4.58 ERA, 30 starts, 175 IP, 102 K, 60 BB

- Volstad is 2-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 6 starts against Atlanta in his career, with 17 K and 15 BB in 37 IP. He is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 3 games at Turner Field.

-He made two starts against the Braves last season. His first was a no decision on July 25th in Florida, when he allowed 3 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings. He again faced the Braves August 27th in Atlanta and he earned the win, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits over 8 innings.

- Currently riding a career-best 6-game winning streak, dating back to August 21, 2010.

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (0-2, 6.00 ERA, 2 starts, 9 IP, 3 K, 3 BB)

- Hanson is coming off a loss to Milwaukee in which he allowed 3 runs in 5.1 innings. He struck out three and walked one.

- He has made 6 starts against Florida and is 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA, 30 K and 14 BB in 37.1 IP. He was 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 4 starts against the Marlins last season.

- Hanson has 3 wins in his last 22 starts (hat tip David O'Brien).

BATTER VS PITCHER

FLA vs Hanson

Cohlan 1-12, BB, 3 K

Ramirez 3-13, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

Stanton 2-6, K

Sanchez 4-12, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, @K

Morrison 1-6, HR, RBI

Dobbs 0-2, BB

ATL vs Volstad

Prado 3-11, 2B, K

Jones 1-8, RBI, 3 K

McCann 2-15, RBI, BB, K

Heyward 2-6, HR< RBI, BB, 2 K

Gonzalez 1-5

Hanson 0-3, K

Hinske 3-6, HR, RBI

RANDOM NOTES

- Atlanta was 11-7 against Florida last season and won 7 of the 9 games the teams played at Turner Field. Florida has lost the last 5 games they've played in Atlanta.

- The Marlins have hit at least 2 doubles in every game this season and lead the majors with 29 doubles. They have only 1 triple and a league-low 5 HR.

INJURIES

FLA: John Baker (60-day DL, Tommy John surgery, out until second half)

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Game Recap: Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 0

2011-04-10T16:08:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hamels (1-1)

L: Lowe (1-2)

S: Contreras (S)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Derek Lowe (7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)

GAME NOTES

- Another wasted performance for the Braves' pitching today. Derek Lowe was very good today, but unfortunately Cole Hamels was great. Lowe didn't get the strike outs we are now used to seeing from him, which allowed the Phils just enough contact to take a lead. He fell victim to several flares and Texas Leaguers as the Phillies took a 1-0 lead, then Shane Victorino hit a homer to make it 2-0. Regardless of the outcome, Lowe's sinker and slider had their usual bite, and he should be happy with how he handled a hot lineup. His line: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR, 99 pitches - 64 strikes, 9 GO/ 5 FO.

- Not much to say about the offense today. Hamels was filthy early in the game, hitting 96 with his fastball several times. The Braves got some good swings on him in the middle innings but didn't have much of anything to show for it. The one golden opportunity came in the 6th when Chipper came to the plate with two on and two out, and proceeded to ground out on the first pitch.

- Nate Mclouth was 1-3 with a double and walk.

NEXT GAME

The Braves get Monday off, and will begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Tuesday. Tommy Hanson will face Chris Volstad. Game time is 7:10.

Game 10 Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (6-2) @ Atlanta Braves (4-5)

2011-04-10T10:18:00.003-04:00

LINEUPS

PHILADELPHIA

Shane Victorino - CF

Placido Polanco - 3B

Jimmy Rollins - SS

Ryan Howard - 1B

Ben Francisco - RF

Raul Ibanez - LF

Carlos Ruiz - C

Michael Martinez - 2B

Cole Hamels - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Derek Lowe - P

TV: FSS, TBS

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

TIME: 1:35 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

PHI: LHP Cole Hamels (1-0, 20.25 ERA, 1 start, 2.2 IP, 3 K, 2 BB)

- Hamels was 12-11 with a 3.03 ERA in 2010. He made 33 starts and had 211 K and 61 BB in 208.2 IP.

- He allowed 21 R (20 ER) in 27 IP this spring with 26 K and 8 BB.

- Hamels has made 19 starts against the Braves and is 9-5 with a 3.95 ERA. He went 2-1 in 5 starts against Atlanta in 2010. He allowed 10 R in 22.2 innings (3.97 ERA).

ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (1-1, 0.77 ERA, 2 starts, 11.2 IP, 13 K, 5 BB)

- In 18 games (14 starts) against the Phillies, Lowe is 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA. He went 1-3 in 4 starts against Philadelphia last season.

- In his 9 starts since the beginning of September - including the playoffs - Lowe is 6-3 with a 1.50 ERA. He has allowed 9 R in 54 IP with 56 K, 14 BB and 2 HR allowed.

BATTER VS PITCHER

PHI vs. Lowe

Victorino 2-29, BB, 3 K

Polanco 2-3, 2B

Rollins 9-39, 2 2B, 2 K

Howard 9-42, 2B, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K

Francisco 0-3, 2 K

Ibanez 5-37, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K

Ruiz 5-15, 2B, BB, K

Hamels 1-2

ATL vs. Hamels

Prado 1-32, 3 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K

McLouth 1-7, BB, K

Jones 9-24, 4 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K

McCann 12-37, 6 2B, HR, 11 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K

Uggla 6-37, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 11 K

Heyward 1-4, BB, K

Gonzalez 2-12, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K

Lowe 0-2, K

INJURIES

PHI: Brad Lidge (15-day DL, strained rotator cuff, out until mid-late June), Chase Utley (15-day DL, right knee tendinitis, no timetable), Domonic Brown (15-day DL, hamate bone surgery, likely May return), Brian Schlitter (15-day DL, strained forearm, no timetable), Brian Bocock (15-day DL, fractured left wrist, no timetable)

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Game 9 Preview: Philadelphia (5-2) @ Atlanta Braves (4-4)

2011-04-09T10:26:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

PHILADELPHIA

Shane Victorino - CF

Placido Polanco - 3B

Jimmy Rollins - SS

Ryan Howard - 1B

Ben Francisco - RF

Raul Ibanez - LF

Brian Schneider - C

Wilson Valdez - 2B

Roy Oswalt - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Brandon Beachy - P

PITCHING MATCUP

PHI: RHP Roy Oswalt (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 1 start, 6 IP, 6 K, 1 BB)
- Oswalt was 13-13 with a 2.76 ERA in 33 games (32 starts) last season with 193 K and 55 BB. He is 8-1 with a 1.83 ERA with Philadelphia.

- The Braves have had success against him as he is 0-3 with a 6.21 ERA in 9 career games (8 starts) against Atlanta.

- In 6 games (5 starts) at Turner Field, he is 0-1 with a 7.06 ERA.

- Oswalt was 1-2 with a 6.11 ERA in 5 starts this spring.

ATL: RHP Brandon Beachy (0-0, 1.50 ERA, 1 start, 6 IP, 7 K, BB)

- Beachy made three starts in big leagues last season and went 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA. The first of those three was his major league debut when he he allowed 3 R (1 earned) over 4.1 innings and the other was October 1 when he allowed 2 R in 5.2 innings.

-Beachy allowed just 2 R in 20 IP this spring with 21 K and 4 BB.

BATTER VS PITCHER

PHI vs. Beachy

Victorino 1-3

Polanco 0-3, RBI

Rollins 0-3

Howard 2-4, 2B, BB

Francisco 0-3

Ibanez 2-4, RBI, BB

Valdez 0-2, 2 BB

ATL vs Oswalt

Prado 1-3, 2B

McLouth 10-30, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB, 8 K

Jones 6-25, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K

McCann 3-7, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K

Uggla 3-20, 2B, RBI, 4 BB, 7 K

Heyward 1-4, 3B, RBI, K

Gonzalez 10-25, 2HR, 3 RBI, BB, 4 K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Game 8 Recap: Atlanta 6, Philadelphia 3

2011-04-09T00:18:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hudson (2-0)

L: Lee (1-1)

S: Kimbrel (3)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Chipper Jones (2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB)

GAME NOTES

- Tim Hudson put up good numbers tonight, yet they still don't show how great he really was. The Phillies scored two runs in the 1st inning and tacked on another in the 2nd, but this was mostly a result of bad breaks for Hudson and some aggressive baserunning. Once he settled into grounders-galore mode, Hudson turned no cruise control and didn't exit until the 8th inning. His line: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 100 pitches-68 strikes, 15 GO/6 AO.

- Chipper got his 2,500th hit tonight, and is now just 1 RBI from being the second switch hitter in history (Eddie Murray) with 2,500 H and 1500 RBI. However, Chippers big hit came two AB earlier when he cleared the bases with a bases loaded double off the glove of Victorino, giving the Braves a three run lead.

- Huddy was great on the mound, but didn't do himself any favors at the plate. He struck out in his first two at-bats on bunt attempts. Hudson takes great pride in his hitting and I doubt this will be a continuing problem, but it's a rare sight to see from him.

- Nate McLouth went 2-5 with a run and RBI, and now has 6 hits in 7 games this year. It took him 14 games to reach that mark last year. His at-bats have slowly improved and we are starting to see the results. A productive McLouth would be huge for this offense.

- Freddie Freeman swung the bat with consistent authority for the first time tonight.

- Martin Prado went 3-5 with a double.

- Brian McCann was 2-4 with a walk.

- Jason Heyward was 1-3 with an opposite field 3B and a walk.

- Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel did their thing with 4 K and no hits in 1.1 innings.

- After Chipper's 2500th hit, the next six Braves hitters struck out swinging. The offense as a whole struck out 11 times.

NEXT GAME

The Braves have another tough assignment tomorrow as Roy Oswalt gets the start for the Phillies. Rookie Brandon Beachy will take the mound for the Braves. Game time is 1:10 p.m.

Minor Sent To Triple-A, Boscan Recalled

2011-04-08T15:06:00.003-04:00

The Braves sent LHP Mike Minor to Triple-A Gwinnett on Frdiay and recalled catcher J.C. Boscan.

Minor was called to Atlanta to make a start in place of the injured Jair Jurrjens, and hopefully won't be needed for a while. Minor allowed 5 runs in 4.1 innings against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Boscan, 31, has been a .227/.316/.313 hitter over his 14-year minor league career. He walked in his only major league plate appearance, which came at the end of last season.

A curious move. I'm surprised they didn't call up an extra arm for the bullpen, because you can never have enough pitching when facing the Phillies. It's possible McCann is dealing with some aches and pains stemming from the hits he took at the plate against the Brewers, but so far there has been no word.

All I know is Boscan probably doesn't care too much about why he's here. You gotta be happy for a 14-year minor league vet who's getting another stint in the bigs. It would be cool to see him get his first hit against the Phillies.

Game 8 Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (5-1) @ Atlanta Braves (3-4)

2011-04-08T12:35:00.005-04:00

LINEUPS

PHILADELPHIA

Shane Victorino - CF

Placido Polanco - 3B

Jimmy Rollins - SS

Ryan Howard - 1B

Ben Francisco - RF

Raul Ibanez - LF

Carlos Ruiz - C

Wilson Valdez - 2B

Cliff Lee - P

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Tim Hudson - P

TV: Peachtree TV, MLBNetwork

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

TIME: 7:35 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

PHI: LHP Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86 ERA, 1 start, 7 IP, 11 K, 0 BB)

- 2010 stats: 12-9, 3.18 ERA, 28 starts, 212.2 IP, 185 K, 18 BB

- This spring, Lee went 2-2 with a 4.74 ERA over 5 starts. In 19 innings he had 16 K and 4 BB

- He is 1-1 in 3 career starts against Atlanta with a 5.06 ERA. However, he is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 2 starts at Turner Field.
- The first month of the season has been Lee's best through his career, going 14-5 with a 2.88 ERA in 27 starts.

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29 ERA, 1 start, 7 IP, 5 K, BB)

- 2010 stats: 17-9, 2.83 ERA, 34 starts, 228.2 IP, 139 K, 74 BB)

- Hudson made 5 starts this spring and went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA. In 20 IP he had 15 K and 9 BB.

- He is 6-7 lifetime against the Phillies with a 3.79 ERA in 18 starts.

- Hudson was 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 3 starts against Philadelphia last year. In each of the first two games against them, he allowed 2 runs over 6 innings. His third start came on the last day of the season when he allowed 4 runs over 7 innings.

BATTER VS PITCHER

PHI vs Hudson

Victorino 8-34 (.350), 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K

Polanco 0-5

Rollins 12-53 (.226), 3 2B, 3 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K

Howard 14-41 (.341), 2B, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 6 K

Ibanez 15-49 (.306), 4 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K

Fransisco 2-3, 2B

Ruiz 4-19, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

Valdez 1-3, K

ATL vs. Lee

Prado 1-5, 2B, 3 K

McLouth 0-2

Jones 2-8, 2 2B, K

McCann 1-3, 2 K

Uggla 0-2, BB

Gonzalez 4-12, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Game Recap: Atlanta 4, Milwaukee 2

2011-04-07T18:12:00.002-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Marcum (1-0)

L: Hanson (0-2)

S: Axford (2)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Dan Uggla (2-3, BB)

GAME NOTES

- Hanson was better today than he was in his first start, but still wasn't where he wants to be. Apart from a few pitches here and there, most of his fastballs were between 90-92.He also seemed to throw a few too many curveballs today, maybe due to a lack of confidence in his fastball. We'll take a closer look at his outing tomorrow, but though it was an improvement, I think Hanson feels he's got a few more steps to take. His line: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K, 89 pitches-62 strikes, 5 GO/5 AO.

- The Braves offense was lethargic again. They did manage to get 11 runners on base, but only had 4 AB with runners in scoring position. this coming after 0 AB with runners in scoring position the first two games of the series. I'd have to predict this offense will break out soon though as Freddie Freeman and Alex Gonzalez are the only hitters in the lineup that look uncomfortable at the plate right now. A lot of guys just coming up shy of some big hits.

- Dan Uggla and Brian McCann both had two hits.

- Matt Young reached base twice and had his first major league hit, a ground ball single through the left side of the infield. He also made a nice diving catch in left.

NEXT GAME

The Braves return to Atlanta for the home opener as they try to break their three game skid. Tim Hudson will face Cliff Lee. Game time is 7:35 p.m.

Game 7 Preview: Atlanta Braves (3-3) @ Milwuakee Brewers (2-4)

2011-04-07T11:33:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 3B

Nate McLouth - CF

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Matt Young - LF

Tommy Hanson - P

MILWAUKEE

Rickie Weeks - 2B

Carlos Gomez - CF

Ryan Braun - LF

Prince Fielder - 1B

Casey McGehee - 3B

Yuneisky Betancourt - SS

Nyjer Morgana - RF

George Kottaras - C

Shaun Marcum - P

TV: SPSO

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

TIME: 140 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (2010: 10-11, 3.33 ERA, 34 stats, 202.2 IP, 173 K, 56 BB)

- Hanson had a rough start to the season, as he allowed the Nationals to score three runs in 3.2 innings on five hits, two walks and one strike out.

- Hanson has made four starts against the Brewers and is 1-2 with a 3.81 ERA with 19 K and 5 BB over 26 IP. Most of that damage was done in his first career start when Milwuakee scored 7 runs (6 earned) in six innnigs.

MIL: RHP Shaun Marcum (2010: 13-8, 3.64 ERA, 31 starts, 151.1 IP, 165 K, 43 BB)

- In his lone start of the season, Marcum faced the Reds and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 4 H, 5 BB and 7 K over 4.2 IP.
- Marcum made 5 starts this spring, allowing 9 runs, on 19 H, 2 BB and 5 K over 18.1 IP.
- Marcum has never faced the Braves.

BATTER VS PITCHER

ATL vs Marcum

Gonzalez 0-1

Hinske 1-9, 2 BB, 5 K

MIL vs Hanson

Weeks 0-7, 3 K

Gomez 1-2 , K

Braun 4-12, 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, K

Fielder 3-11, 3 K

McGehee 2-6, 2B, K

Morgan 6-13, 2 2B, RBI, K

Kottaras 0-4, BB, K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

MIL: Zack Greinke (15-day DL, fractured right rib, likely out until late-April or early-May), Manny Parra (15-day DL, stiff back, likely late-April return), LaTroy Hawkins (15-day DL, shoulder weakness, likely late-April return), Jonathan LuCroy (15-day DL, fractured right pinkie, possible return next weekend), Corey Hart (15-day DL, strained left oblique, no timetable/likely out until at least late-April)

Game 6 Preview: Atlanta Braves (3-2) @ Milwuakee Brewers (1-4)

2011-04-06T13:34:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Matt Young - LF

Mike Minor - P

MILWUAKEE

Rickie Weeks - 2B

Carlos Gomez - CF

Ryan Braun - LF

Prince Fielder - 1B

Casey McGehee - 3B

Erick Almonte - RF

Yuniesky Betancourt - SS

Wil Nieves - C

Marco Estrada - P

TV: SportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM, 100.5 FM

TIME: 8:10 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: LHP Mike Minor (2010: 3-2, 5.98 ERA, 9 games, 8 starts, 40.2 IP, 43 K, 11 BB)

- Minor split time between Mississippi and Gwinnett last year and went a combined 6-7 with a 3.44 ERA in 21 starts. He had 146 strike outs and 46 BB in 120.1 IP

- In his first 4 starts in the big leagues, Minor went 3-0 with a 3.91 ERA, 26 K,, 7 BB and a HR in 23 IP. In his final 4 starts he went 0-2 with a 9.37 ERA, 15 K, BB and 5 HR in 16.1 IP.

- He allowed just one run in 10 IP this spring with 7 K and 4 BB.

MIL: RHP Marco Estrada (2010: 0-0, 9.53 ERA, 7 games, 1 start, 11.1 IP, 13 K, 6 BB)

- Estrada made seven appearances (all starts) in the minors last year and went 1-2 with a 3.15 ERA. He had 33 K and 11 BB in 40 IP

- In 2 career starts he is 0-1 with an 11.01 ERA

BATTER VS PITCHER

ATL vs Estrada

Prado 0-1

Jones 0-2

McCann 0-1

Uggla 0-1, BB, K

WAS vs Minor

Morgan 0-2

Nieves 2-2, 2B, RBI

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

MIL: Zack Greinke (15-day DL, fractured right rib, likely out until late-April or early-May), Manny Parra (15-day DL, stiff back, possible return this week), LaTroy Hawkins (15-day DL, shoulder weakness, likely April return), Jonathan LuCroy (15-day DL, fractured right pinkie, out until at least mid-April), Corey Hart (15-day DL, strained left oblique, no timetable/likely out until at least late-April)

Game Recap: Milwaukee 1, Atlanta 0

2011-04-05T22:12:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Gallardo (1-0)

L: Lowe (1-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Derek Lowe (6 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 7 K)

GAME NOTES

- Derek Lowe pitched plenty well enough to get the win today, but the struggling Braves offense gave him no room for error. Lowe's slider was filthy as he struck out five of the first ten hitters he faced, all on sliders. In typical Lowe fashion, he wasn't very economical with his pitches, but he got the ground balls when he needed them and gave the Braves six very strong innings. His line: 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 108 pitches-66 strikes, 9 GO/0 AO.

- Other than their outburst against the Nationals, the offense hasn't looked all that impressive so far. Granted it's hard to do much against Gallardo when he's on, but the bats seem to be in one of those collective slumps that we saw so much of early last year. Atlanta managed just two hits and two walks off Gallardo, who threw a complete game shutout.

- Nyjer Morgan hit a routine fly ball to right-center in the 8th inning, a play that Jason Heyward normally has no problem with. However with he and Nate McLouth both pursuing the ball, Heyward called off McLouth, and proceeded to let the ball sail over his head, allowing Morgan to reach third to lead off the inning. It was such a weird play to see from a good fielder that you have to wonder if last year's collision is still in the mind of Heyward.

-After the triple, Ryan Braun was intentionally walked which brought Prince Fielder to the plate. Fielder hit a grounder to Dan Uggla who made a great throw home to nail Nyjer Morgan for the first out. Martin Prado made a great throw to the plate to get Braun on the next play for out number 2. Carlos Gomez popped out on the next pitch.

- Eric Hinske has looked terrible at the plate for the last month. He is really fighting it right now and went 0-3 with 2 strike outs today filling in for Freddie Freeman.

NEXT GAME

Atlanta send Mike Minor to the mound for his first start of the season in place of the injured Jair Jurrjens. Milwaukee hasn't officially announced their starter, but word is they will call up Marco Estrada to make the start. Game time is 8:10 p.m.

Game 5 Preview: Atlanta Braves (3-1) @ Milwaukee Brewers (0-4)

2011-04-05T03:51:00.006-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Eric Hinske - 1B

Derek Lowe - P

MILWAUKEE

Rickie Weeks - 2B

Nyjer Morgan - CF

Ryan Braun - LF

Prince Fielder - 1B

Casey McGehee - 3B

Mark Kotsay - RF

Craig Counsell - SS

George Kottaras - C

Yovani Gallardo - P

TV: FSS

RADIO 680/93.7

TIME: 8:10 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (2010: 16-12, 4.00 ERA, 33 starts , 193.2 IP, 136 K, 61 BB)

- Lowe made his lone start of the year on Opening Day and pitched 5.2 shutout innings against the Nationals. He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six.

-He is 5-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 11 games (9 starts) against the Brewers. He faced Milwaukee twice last season and allowed a combined five runs over 11.1 innings while earning the win in both games.

- Lowe is 4-1 with a 3.75 ERA in 6 starts at Miller Park

MIL: RHP Yovani Gallardo (2010: 14-7, 3.84 ERA, 31 starts, 185 IP, 200 K, 75 BB)

- Gallardo has made four starts against the Braves, going 2-0, 1.27 ERA. His lone start against Atlanta in 2010 came on May 12 when he allowed two runs over six innings. He surrendered six hits, walked three and struck out six.

- Gallardo faced the Reds on Opening Day and got the loss, allowing two runs in six innings

BATTER VS PITCHER

ATL VS GALLARDO

Prado 2-9, 2B

McLouth 6-21, RBI, 3 BB, 6 K

Jones 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

McCann 2-1-, 2 BB, 3 K

Uggla 1-9, BB, 2 K

Heyward 0-2, BB, K

Gonzalez 2-5, 2B

Hinske 2-5, 2B, RBI, BB 2 K

Lowe 0-2, K

MIL vs. Lowe

Weeks 5-12, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K

Morgan 15-28, 3 2B, RBI

Braun 4-9, 2 K

Fielder 5-20, RBI, 3 BB, 3 K

McGehee 3-6, 2B, RBI, K

Kotsay 6-16, 2 2B, 4 BB

Counsell 10-28, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 7 BB, 3 K

Kottaras 0-2, K

Gallardo 0-2, K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Jurrjens' Schedule Set

2011-04-04T21:18:00.004-04:00

RHP Jair Jurrjens is scheduled to throw 3-4 innings in a simulated game for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday to test his strained right oblique. If all goes well then he he would start for Gwinnett on April 11, and stretch himself to 5-6 innings in an attempt to be ready for his April 16 start against the Mets.

Jurrjens was placed on the 15-day DL yesterday with a strained right oblique, which he hurt in an exhibition game March 24.

Game Recap: Atlanta 2, Milwaukee 1

2011-04-04T16:03:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxcore.

W: Moylan (1-0)

L: Saito (0-1)

S: Kimbrel (2)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Brandon Beachy (6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 7 K)

GAME NOTES

- In his first start of the year, Brandon Beachy showed why the Braves felt comfortable handing him a spot in the rotation. He didn't start the game with his best stuff and got into a few jams, but pitched his way out of them and was fairly efficient. The lone tally against him was a homer off the bat of Rickie Weeks. After the homer, Beachy settled in and wound up retiring the last nine hitters he faced. He won't get the win but a great start for the rookie. His line: 6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 7 K, HR, 88 pitches-61 strikes, 5 GO/3 AO.

- Martin Prado and Dan Uggla both hit solo homers in the 8th inning off former Braves reliever Takashi Saito to break the ice and give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. It was Prado's first of the year and Uggla's second.

- Through the first 7 innings, the Braves had a base runner every inning, but none of them reached second base.

- A win is a win, but one run against Lannan and one run against Narveson could lead to some doubts about this team's ability to hit lefties. Narveson had trouble commanding his fastball today (contrary to Brewer's announcers comments, Narveson was NOT locating his heater) yet the Braves were hacking early in the count and bailing him out. Can't get too caught up in stuff like this after four games but it's something to watch for.

- Prado was the only Atlanta hitter with two hits. Jason Heyward and David Ross both reached base twice.

- Jonny Venters came in to face Fielder with one out and one on, and promptly induced a double play to preserve the one run lead.

- Craig Kimbrel may have been throwing the best stuff I've seen him throw since arriving in Atlanta. He struck out the side to earn his second save of the season. Pure filth.

NEXT GAME

In their first game under the lights this season, the Braves will try to keep the Brewers out of the win column one day longer as Derek Lowe takes the hill against Yovani Gallardo. Game time will be 8:10 p.m.

Game 4 Preview: Atlanta Braves (2-1) @ Milwaukee Brewers (0-3)

2011-04-04T10:18:00.005-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

David Ross - C

Brandon Beachy - P

MILWAUKEE

Rickie Weeks - 2B

Carlos Gomez - CF

Ryan Braun - LF

Prince Fielder - 1B

Casey McGehee - 3B

Yuniesky Betancourt - SS

Nyjer Morgan - CF

Wil Nieves - C

Chris Narveon - P

TV: SportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM/93.7 FM

GAME TIME: 2:10 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Brandon Beachy (2010: 0-2, 3.00 ERA, 3 starts, 15 IP, 15 K, 7 BB)

- Beachy went 2-0 with a 2.17 ERA for Triple-A Gwinnett and 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 27 game (6 starts) starts for Double-A Mississippi. In a combined 119.1 IP he had 148 strike outs and just 28 walks.

- In 5 appearances (4 starts) this spring, Beachy allowed just 2 runs in 20.2 IP with 21 strike outs and 4 walks.

MIL: LHP Chris Narveson (2010: 12-9, 4.99 ERA, 37 games, 28 starts, 167.2 IP, 137 K, 59 BB)

- In his one start against Atlanta (July 17, 2010), Narveson allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings. He struck out two and walked one.

- In 33 career games, Narveson has a 8.45 ERA in the first inning and opponents have hit .,342/.392/.603 agaisnt him.

BATTERS VS PITCHER

ATL vs. Narveson

Prado 1-3

Uggla 2-5, BB, K

Gonzalez 1-2, BB

Ross 0-2

MIL vs. Beachy

Morgan 1-2, RBI, BB, K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL, Tommy John Surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, strained right oblique, out until April 16)

Game Recap: Atlanta 11, Washington 2

2011-04-03T16:01:00.003-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hudson (1-0)

L: Zimmermann (0-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Tim Hudson (W, 7 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 5 K)

GAME NOTES

- The Tim Hudson we saw today was the same pitcher who won Comeback Player of the Year in 2010. He was extremely efficient , pounding the zone with his sinker and inducing eight ground outs. After a couple of line drives in the first couple innings, Hudson really settled down and retired the last 15 batters he faced. His line: 7 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 5 K, 85 pitches-56 strikes, 8 GO, 3 AO.

- Martin Prado went 3-5 with two doubles, a run and an RBI.

- Nate McLouth, Chipper Jones, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman all reached base multiple times.

- Brian McCann went 3-5 with a run, 4 RBI and a stolen base.

- The Braves were helped by the Nationals defense today. They only made one error, but after sparkling play in the field the first two games, Washington had a few balls bounce off of gloves and made some poor decisions that led to runs.

- Atlanta mad a big improvement over the first two games, going 6-13 with RISP.

- Matt Young made his major league debut, pinch-running for Chipper Jones after his double in the 8th inning. He scored a run.

NEXT GAME

The Braves travel to Milwaukee and start a four-game series tomorrow, with Brandon Beachy facing Chris Narveson

Jurrjens Placed on 15-day DL

2011-04-03T11:46:00.006-04:00

The Braves placed RHP Jair Jurrjens on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 25 with a strained right oblique. Jurrjens is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Gwinnett April 11, and return April 16 against the Mets.

Jurrjens left his start March 24 with pain in his right side. He has been able to play catch and throw in the bullpen with out pain

LHP Mike Minor will be called up to take his start on Wednesday against the Marlins

___

This is why you have pitching depth. With Minor (and Lopez) ready to go in the minors, the Braves were able to make this move. Between the injuries he had last year and his competitive mentality, Jurrjens was more than ready to make his season debut on Wednesday. The Braves, however, did not want to risk further injury to JJ and though he's probably not to pleased about it, he understands that it's better for him to miss one start than miss two months.

I'll be excited to see Minor pitch on Wednesday against a tough Brewers lineup as I'm sure he feels he has something to prove after losing the fifth starter battle.

Game 3 Preview: Atlanta Braves (1-1) @ Washington Nationals (1-1)

2011-04-03T10:07:00.005-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Tim Hudson - P

WASHINGTON

Ian Desmond - SS

Jason Werth - RF

Ryan Zimmerman - 3B

Adam LaRoche - 1B

Michael Morse - LF

Rick Ankiel - CF

Danny Espinosa - 2B

Ivan Rodriguez - C

Jordan Zimmermann - P

TV: SportsSouth

RADIO: 680 AM

Game Time: 1:35 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (2010: 17-9, 2.83 ERA, 34 starts, 228.2 IP, 139 K, 74 BB)

- Hudson has a 10-2 record against the career with a 1.91 ERA in 18 starts against the Nationals. Last seasno he went 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in five starts againast Washington.

- He has allowed two runs or fewer in 16 of his 18 career starts against the Nationals.

- Hudson was 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA over 5 starts (20 IP) this spring. He had 15 strike outs, nine walks and no homers allowed.

WAS: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2010: 1-2, 4.94 ERA, 7 starts, 31 IP, 27 K, 10 BB)

- Zimmermann has won both career starts against the Braves, including his major league debut on April 20, 2009. He allowed two runs on six hits in six innings.

- During a 10-game rehab assignment (Tommy John surgery) last year, Zimmermann went 1-2 with a 1.59 ERA over 39.1 IP.

BATTER VS PITCHER

ATL vs. Zimmermann

Prado 1-2

McLouth 0-2, BB

Jones 1-3, 3B, K

McCann 0-1, BB

Uggla 1-5, K

Heyward 0-3 K

Gonzalez 0-2, K

Hudson 0-2, 2 K

WAS vs. Hudson

Desmond 4-17, 2 BB, 3 K

Werth 7-20, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI, BB, 5 K

R.Zimmerman 7-36 (.206), 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 6 K

LaRoche 2-9, K

Morse 4-10, RBI, BB, K

Ankiel 3-6 BB

Espinosa 0-3, BB

Rodriguez 16-36 (.444), 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K

J.Zimmermann 1-2

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL Tommy John surgery, out until at least September), Jair Jurrjens (15-day DL, sore right oblique)

WAS: Stephen Strasburg (60-day DL Tommy John surgery, out for year), Chien-Ming Wang (60-day DL shoulder fatigue, out until at least mid-season), Henry Rodriguez (15-day DL arm), Elvin Ramirez (15-day DL sore shoulder)

Game Recap: Washington 6, Atlanta 3

2011-04-02T15:41:00.005-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Lanna (1-0)

L: Hanson (0-1)

S: Burnett (1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Alex Gonzalez (3-3, BB, HR, R, RBI)

GAME NOTES

- Tommy Hanson battled through two rain-delays and inconsistency with his breaking balls in his first start of the year, allowing four runs (3 earned) over 3.2 innings. He surrendered five hits, two runs, struck out one and made an error on a pickoff attempt. Jason Werth managed two doubles off of him and former Braves Rick Ankiel hit a two-run homer in the third. Hanson did not look comfortable on the mound and could not locate his breaking stuff at all. His fastball sat around 91 MPH for most of the day and I never saw it top 93.

- Alex Gonzalez was outstanding at the plate, going 3-3 with a walk and a solo homer.

- Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman both had two hits going 2-5 and 2-4 respectively. Freeman doubled in the sixth.

- The bullpen allowed two runs over 4.1 innings with Linebrink and Moylan allowing a run apiece. Neither pitcher was hit hard, however, as Linebrink's run came courtesy of a Ryan Zimmerman triple that should have been a single but bounced off a sliding McLouth and Moylan fell victim to Rick Ankiel suicide squeeze.

- Dan Uggla hit his first homer in an Atlanta uniform.

- The Braves were 1-6 with RISP.

NEXT GAME

The Braves will go for the series win tomorrow as they send Tim Hudson to the mound to face Jordan Zimmerman. Game time is 1:35 p.m.

McCann To Stay At Cleanup For Now

2011-04-02T13:43:00.003-04:00

At the start of spring, Fredi Gonzalez suggested he would flip-flop McCann and Uggla between the #4 and #5 spots in the order depending on whether there was a left-hander or right-hander on the mound.

Via DOB's blog, we learned today that McCann is going to stay at cleanup and Uggla at 5th for now:

"As long as we keep winning." he said smiling. "The only time we'll make a switch, I think, is when Chipper needs a day off of somebody else needs a day off. But if everybody's good, we'll run that same lineup out, see how it develops."

Game 2 Preview: Atlanta Braves (1-0) @ Washington Nationals (0-1)

2011-04-02T09:54:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Tommy Hanson - P

WASHINGTON

Ian Desmond - SS

Jason Werth - RF

Ryan Zimmerman - 3B

Adam LaRoche - 1B

Michael Morse - LF

Rick Ankiel - CF

Danny Espinosa - 2B

Wilson Ramos - C

John Lannan - P

RADIO/TV

FOXSportsSouth/680 AM. Game time is 1:05 p.m.

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (2010: 10-11, 3.33 ERA, 34 starts, 202.2 IP, 173 K, 56 BB)

- In 6 career starts against the Nationals, Hanson is 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA.

- He is 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA in his first start of the season.

- Hanson allowed just 2 runs in 14 innings (1.29 ERA) over four starts this spring. He struck out nine and walked one. The two runs he allowed were via two solo homers.

WAS: LHP John Lannan (2010: 8-8, 4.65 ERA, 25 starts, 143.1 IP, 71 K, 49 BB)

- Lannan has made 10 starts against Atlanta and is 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA, including a win in both starts against the Braves last year.

- He was 1-0 with a 4.73 ERA in 3 spring starts.

BATTERS VS PITCHER

ATL vs Lannan

Prado 7-21, 4 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K

McLouth 4-13, 2 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K

Jones 7-23, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

McCann 6-21, 2B, RBI, 4 BB, 5 K

Uggla 5-13, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K

Heyward 1-5, BB, K

Gonzalez 4-8, 2B, RBI, K

WAS vs Hanson

Desmond 4-11, HR, 3 RBI, K

Werth 1-5, 2B, 4 BB, 3 K

Zimmerman 3-14, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 6 K

LaRoche 1-6, 3 K

Morse 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K

INJURIES

ATL: Kris Medlen (60-day DL Tommy John surgery, out untill at least September), Jair Jurrjens (sore right side, may miss scheduled start on Wednesday)

WAS: Stephen Strastburg (60-day DL Tommy John surgery, out for year), Chien-Ming Wang (60-day DL shoulder fatigue, out until at least mid-season), Henry Rodriguez (15-day DL Arm), Elvin Ramirez (15-day DL, sore shoulder)

Braves Release DeVall, Acquire Utilityman

2011-03-31T23:13:00.003-04:00

(Hat tip to mlbtraderumors)

The Braves released prospect Brett DeVall today. If not for his health issues, DeVall would have been a decent prospect. He has spent the past three seasons dealing with forearm and elbow issues and will now have to rehab from Tommy John surgery. He was 11-13 with a 3.92 ERA in 3 minor league seasons with the Braves.

Atlanta also acquired utlityman Marcus Lemon from the Rangers for a player to be named later. At 23, he isn't much of a prospect anymore and will likely provide organizational depth at AA. His greatest value seems to come from his versatility.

Game Recap: Atlanta 2, Washington 0

2011-03-31T15:22:00.005-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Lowe (1-0)

L: Hernandez (0-1)

S: Kimbrel (1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Derek Lowe (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K)

GAME NOTES

- Lowe made another great opening day start for the Braves throwing 5.2 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and two walks, and struck out six. 59 of his 105 pitches were strikes and he induced seven groundouts to two flyouts. Since the beginning of spring his sinker has seemed sharper than I remember it being in a long while.

- Jason Heyward. I'm very interested to see what he can do if he stays healthy. He went 1-2 with a, walk, strike out and a homer in his first AB. With that homer he became just the second player in MLB history to homer in his first two opening days (Kaz Matsui is the other, one of which was against Atlanta).

- Chipper had a good 2011 debut as well, going 2-4 with a double in his first AB.

- Brian McCann was the only other hitter with a hit as he went 2-4 with two grounders that squeaked into center. He drove in Chipper for the first run of the game in the first inning.

- The Braves had just two base runners after Heyward's second inning homer.

- For a team that had so many issues in the field last year, the Nats flashed some leather today robbing the Braves of several potential hits.

- The bullpen was great in relief, throwing 3.1 shutout innings. The young guns were perfect in relief with Venters getting three ground outs and Kimbrel hitting 97 on the gun a couple times on his way to two strike outs

NEXT GAME

The Braves get the usual off-day tomorrow and send Tommy Hanson to the mound on Saturday to face John Lannan. Game time is 1:05 p.m.

Jurrjens Throws First Pen, Feels Good

2011-03-31T11:28:00.002-04:00

According to Carroll Rogers in the comments section of the AJC blog, RHP Jair Jurrjens threw a bullpen today and felt good. Rogers says he will throw a "more intense bullpen" on Sunday then hopefully be ready for his first start on Wednesday against the Brewers.

Jurrjens' bullpen was his first since leaving his start on March 24 with soreness in his right side. He has been throwing in the outfield without pain for the past few days.

Game 1 Preview: Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals

2011-03-31T10:32:00.004-04:00

Happy Opening Day!!!

Game time is 1:05 p.m. It can be seen on Fox SportsSouth and be heard on 680 AM/93.7 FM or 100.5 FM

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Derek Lowe - P

WASHINGTON

Ian Desmond - SS

Jason Werth - RF

Ryan Zimmerman - 3B

Adam LaRoche - 1B

Michael Morse - LF

Rick Ankiel - CF

Danny Espinosa - 2B

Ivan Rodriguez - C

Livan Hernandez - P

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (2010: 16-12, 4.00 ERA, 33 starts, 193.2 IP, 136 K, 61 BB)

- In 6 Grapefruit League starts, Lowe went 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA. He had 12 strike outs, nine walks and allowed no homers over 23.1 innings.

-Lowe has pitched in 23 games against the Nationals (17 starts) and is 8-7 with a 3.64 ERA.

- In 2010 he faced Washinton five times and posted a 2-3 record and a 3.52 ERA.

WAS: RHP Livan Hernandez (2010: 10-12, 3.66 ERA, 33 starts, 211.2 IP, 114 K, 64 BB)

- Hernandez made four Grapefruit League starts and went 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA.

- In 33 games he is 7-16 with a 4.83 ERA in 33 games against Atlanta over his career, but is 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts over the past two years.

- This will be Hernandez's 9th opening day assignment, tying him for the major league lead. Over his eight opening day starts, Hernandez is 4-3 with a 4.65 ERA in 50.1 IP.

GAME NOTES

ATL vs. Hernandez

-Prado 11-23, 3 2B, K

-McLouth 2-18, RBI, 2 BB, 6 K

-Jones 25-70 (.357), 11 2B, 3B, HR, 17 RBI, 12 BB, 5 K

-McCann 8-23, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, K

-Uggla 4-27, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K

-Heyward 3-10, 2B, HR, RBI, 6 BB, K

-Gonzalez 6-52, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 11 K

-Freeman 0-3

WAS vs. Lowe

- Desmond 5-14, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K

- Werth 7-27, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3BB, 3 K

- Zimmerman 13-44, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 12 K

- LaRoche 1-15, HR, 5 RBI, 3, K

- Morse 2-13, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 K

- Rodriguez 7-28, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB 8 BB

Chipper Has Turned Corner With Knee

2011-03-18T09:22:00.003-04:00

Via Mark Bowman's blog, here's a quote from Hoss about his knee:

"I'm not even thinking about the knee because it's not an issue," Jones said. "I have no pain in the knee whatsoever. I would love to really open up and go from first to home on a double while I'm down here. I feel like I turned a corner about 2 1/2 weeks ago with my knee. I'm just really excited to get this season started, right now...right now.

It's hard not to get excited about Chipper this season...

Game Recap: Atlanta 7, Washington 6

2011-03-17T22:02:00.002-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hudson (2-0)

L: Maya (0-1)

S: Martinez (1)

Player of the Game

Chipper Jones (2-4, 2 RBI, R, HR, 2B)

GAME NOTES

- Tim Hudson had rough first couple of innings, but found command of his sinker and settled in quite nicely. He finished the day with five scoreless innings and just two hits allowed. He walked four and struck out five.

- Chipper Jones had a fantastic day at the plate and in the field. He launched his team-leading third homer of the spring to straight-away center field, and tacked on an RBI double in the 5th.

- Jason Heyward returned to the lineup after missing some time due to a sore back. He showed no lingering soreness by hitting his first home of the spring. He was 1-1 with 2 RBI and walk.

- Freddie Freeman hit a bomb to center field for his first homer. It was a fastball up around the belt and he put a big swing on it. He finished 1-3 with a walk and 2 RBI.

-Jordan Schafer went 0-3 and if I didn't know any better I'd say he looks tired. Maybe the Prado-esque hard work he's been putting in this spring is catching up to him, but he's made a couple mistakes in the outfield and isn't swinging with any authority. Other than his home run the other day, I don't any hard hit balls off his bat in the last few games.

- After my feeble attempt at defending Scott Proctor today, he really had a stinker of a game. He made it through just 2/3 of an inning allowing five runs, though just one was earned. In his defense he fell victim to some infield singles, a chopper up the middle and shoddy defense, but he was overthrowing (again) and got himself in trouble with a couple walks. When he left the game, he had only allowed three runs, but Cristhian Martinez couldn't get out of the jam without allowing the Nats to make it a close game.

NEXT GAME

The Braves travel to Port St. Lucie to face the Mets with Jair Jurrjens taking the mound for Atlanta and D.J. Carrasco going for New York. Game time is 1:05 p.m. and can be seen on MLB Network.

Braves Announce Second Round Of Cuts

2011-03-17T15:15:00.007-04:00

The Braves made their second round of cuts today, optioning Cory Gearrin, Stephen Marek and Anthony Varvaro to Gwinnett.

Yohan Flande, Wilkin Castillo, Shawn Bowman, Brent Clevlen and Jose Constanza were reassinged to minor league camp.

___

Constanza started the spring with a slim chance of making the team and did nothing in Grapefruit League play to indicate he belongs in the majors. He's got some wheels but thats about it.

I expect Gearrin to be up at some point this year, especially if Moylan goes down with an injury. He seemed to fall behind in counts a little too much this spring and had a tendency to leave a lot of pitches up in the zone. However, I'm going to assume this was a result of him getting acclimated to the changes he's made to his already crazy delivery. When right, Gearrin pounds the bottom of the zone with his sinker/slider combination inducing tons of grounders. Similar to another side-arming righty in the Braves pen.

A lot of people were surprised by Marek being included in this list (myself included) as he has nothing left to prove in the minors and pitched pretty well this spring. Enter Scott Proctor and Cristhian Martinez.

Proctor is out of options so he held the pole position in the 7th-man race at the start of camp. Combine that with the fact that he has pitched better this spring (I'm not just talking about numbers here) than he has at any point in a Braves uniform and you have to figure the job is his.

With Martinez you have a guy who pitched pretty well in an unattractive role last year for Atlanta, and has been quite impressive this spring. Unlike Proctor, Martinez doesn't have a guaranteed contract and had still has an option left so he's likely the 8th man at the moment.

Marek had a tremendous 2010 season, and if he comes anywhere close to reproducing those numbers then he would be a very useful arm in the Atlanta bullpen. With that said, while maybe not the best use of resources, it won't be the worst thing in the world having Proctor pitch in low-leverage situations for a while. If he can pitch then that's great. If he can't, then hopefully the Braves won't keep him around for four months before going to their minor league depth.

The bottom line is that with a decent spring performance from Proctor and a guaranteed $750,000 headed his way, the Braves may as well give him a shot at mop-up duty. This is not likely to be a decision that will make or break this team's season.

Of course the decision to give him $750,000 in the first place is a whole different issue...

Spring Training Game 21 Preview: Washington Nationals @ Atlanta Braves

2011-03-17T13:05:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

WASHINGTON

Ian Desmond - SS

Rick Ankiel - CF

Jayson Werth - RF

Adam LaRoche - 1B

Michael Morse - LF

Jerry Hairston Jr - 2B

Wilson Ramos - C

Brian Bixler - 3B

Yunesky Maya - P

ATLANTA

Nate McLouth - CF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Jordan Schafer - LF

Tim Hudson - P

PITCHING MATCHUP

WAS: RHP Yunesky Maya (2010: 0-3, 5.88 ERA, 5 starts, 26 Ip, 12 K, 11 BB)

- Maya will be making his 4th appearance of the spring having allowed just 2 runs (1 earned) in 8.2 IP.

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (2010: 17-9, 2.83 ERA, 34 starts, 228.2 IP, 139 K, 74 BB)

- Hudson is coming off of four scoreless innings against the Mets and has allowed two runs in seven innings this spring.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

WAS: Henry Rodriguez, Todd Coffey, Collin Balester,Brian Broderick

ATL: Kenshin Kawakami, Scott Proctor, Christhian Martinez

Gonzalez Names Derek Lowe Opening Day Starter

2011-03-16T17:37:00.003-04:00

Fredi Gonzalez announced after Wednesday's game that Derek Lowe will start his third consecutive opening day with the Braves on March 31 against the Nationals. He will be followed by Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens and whoever wins the 5th starter job. The schedule matches Hudson as the starter for Atlanta's home opener on April 8 against the Phillies.

Game Recap: Atlanta 4, Boston 3

2011-03-16T15:53:00.004-04:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Sherrill (1-0)

L: Reyes (0-1)

S: O'Flaherty (1)

Player of the Game

Tommy Hanson (5 IP, 2 H, ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

GAME NOTES

- After giving up a leadoff homer to Marco Scutaro, Tommy Hanson settled down and turned in a brilliant five innings. Hanson allowed just two hits, no walks and five strikeouts in his longest outing of the spring. He threw 75 pitches, 43 strikes.

- Chipper Jones went 2-3 with an RBI and run scored.

- Martin Prado went 2-4 with a double and run scored. He would have had four hits if not for a couple of very nice defensive plays by the Red Sox infield.

- George Sherrill gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over one inning.

- Scott Linebrink, Peter Moylan and Eric O'Flaherty combined for three scoreless innings. Linebrink was the only one to allow a baserunner.

- David Ross and Brooks Conrad both had two hits.

NEXT GAME

The Braves will send Tim Hudson to the mound to face Yunesky Maya and the Nationals. Game time is 6:05 p.m. and can be seen on MLB Network.

Spring Training Game 20 Preview: St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox

2011-03-16T09:47:00.003-04:00

The Braves will look to break out of their offensive funk today and will have to do it against a tough pitcher as Jon Lester takes the mound for the Red Sox. Tommy Hanson gets the start for the Braves. Freddie Freeman was in the original lineup but has been scratched. Jason Heyward gets another day off.

UPDATE: According to David O'Brien, Freeman was scratched from DH spot because McCann wanted to face the tough lefty. Heyward is taking another day off due to his increasingly alarming sore back.

LINEUPS

BOSTON

Marco Scutaro - SS

Dustin Pedroia - 2B

Adrian Gonzalez - 1B

Kevin Youkilis - 3B

David Ortiz - DH

Jarrod Saltalamacchia - C

Ryan Kalish - CF

Daniel Nava - LF

Darnell McDonald - RF

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Brooks Conrad - 2B

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - DH

Eric Hinske - 1B

Joe Mather - CF

David Ross - C

Wilkin Ramirez - RF

Diory Hernandez - SS

PITCHING MATCHUP

BOS: LHP Jon Lester (2010: 19-9, 3.25 ERA, 32 starts, 208 IP, 225 K, 83 BB)

- Lester has pitched six innings this spring and hasn't allowed a run. He has one walk and one strikeout.

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (2010: 10-11, 3.33 ERA, 34 starts, 202.2 IP, 173 K, 56 BB)

- Hanson has allowed just one run on seven hits over nine innings this spring. He has surrendered one homer, one walk and has four strikeouts.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

BOS: Randy Williams, Andrew Miller, Dennys reyes, Matt Fox

ATL: Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill, Peter Moylan, Eric O'Flaherty

Game Recap: St. Louis 4, Atlanta 1

2011-03-15T15:43:00.004-04:00

The Atlanta bats decided to stay in their Jupiter hotel rooms today for the second straight day as St.Louis beat the Braves 4-0. After recording just two hits yesterday, Atlanta had only mustered one hit through eight innings today before a couple of singles in the ninth produced a feeble attempt at a comeback. The Braves will happily hop on the bus and return to Disney to get ready for a couple days in Lake Buena Vista.

Here's the boxscore.

W: McClellan (3-0)

L: Lowe (2-1)

GAME NOTES

- Derek Lowe pitched his worst game of the spring today, but still wasn't too bad. He surrendered only one run (his first of the spring) over five innings with five hits, two walks and a strikeout. He induced eleven groundouts and one flyout.

- The Braves had been one of the games best fielding teams this spring before managing four errors today. Prado, Freeman, Conrad and Lucas were the guilty parties, leading to three unearned runs for the Cardinals.

- Not much to say about the offense today. Hinske, Freeman and Bowman were the only ones with hits while Hinske, Schafer and Prado each drew a walk.

- Jonny Venters pitched around an error in a scoreless inning of work and has now surrendered just one hit in seven innings this spring.

- Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the 7th inning. This marks just the second appearance this spring in which he has recorded multiple strikeouts.

NEXT GAME

The Braves will welcome the Red Sox to town as Tommy Hanson is set to face Jon Lester. Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill, Peter Moylan and Eric O'Flaherty are scheduled to pitch.

Spring Training Game 19 Preview: Atlanta Braves @ St. Louis Cardinals

2011-03-15T10:54:00.005-04:00

Chipper Jones gets the day off and Jason Heyward was a last minute scratch as he's still nursing a sore back.

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 2B

Nate McLouth - CF

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Eric Hinske - DH

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Jordan Schafer - RF

Matt Young - LF

ST. LOUIS

Ryan Theriot - SS

Matt Carpenter - 3B

Albert Pujols - 1B

Matt Holliday - LF

Lance Berkman - DH

Colby Rasmus - CF

Yadier Molina - C

Skip Schumaker - 2B

John Jay - RF

PITCHING MATHCUP

ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (2010: 16-12, 4.00 ERA, 33 game, 193.2 IP, 136 K, 61 BB)

- Lowe as not allowed a run in nine innings pitched this spring.

- Lowe pitched four shutout innings against the Cardinals on March 10, allowing two hits and a walk to go along with four strikeouts.

STL: RHP Kyle McClellan (2010: 1-4, 2.27 ERA, 68 games, 75.1 IP, 60 K, 23 BB)

- McClellan held the Braves to one run on three hits in four innings on March 10. He had one walk and one strikeout.

- 2011 spring training: 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 2 games, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, BB, 4 K

SCHEDULED RELIVERS

ATL: Jonny Venters, Criaig Kimbrel, Scott Proctor

STL: Trever Miller, Miguel Batista, Mitchell Boggs, Blake King, Eduardo Sanchez

Game Recap: Atlanta 1, St. Louis 1

2011-03-14T15:53:00.005-04:00

Today's game ended in a 10-inning 1-1 tie. The Braves offense managed only two hits against the Cardinals and didn't get their first hit until the fifth inning.

Here's the boxscore.

Player of the Game

Mike Minor (5 IP, 2 H,0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)

GAME NOTES

- Minor's outing was better than his previous one. He shutout the Cards over five innings, allowing no runs, two hits, two walks and four strikeouts. He induced two groundouts and eight flyouts.

- Chipper Jones drove in the lone Atlanta run with a double to left field.

- Freddie Freeman had a rough day going 0-4 with three K.

- Nate McLouth went 0-2 but drew a walk and has reached base in all but one of the games he's played.

- Kenshin Kawakami tossed two innings and surrendered the only St. Louis run, a homer from Matt Holliday.

NEXT GAME

- The Braves stay in Jupiter overnight (their only overnight trip of the spring), and will face the Cardinals again tomorrow. Derek Lowe looks to continue his spring dominance as he takes the mound for Atlanta. He hasn't allowed a run in nine innings this spring. Kyle McClellan will get the start for St. Louis.

Beachy Throws Strong Two Innings In "B" Game

2011-03-14T12:49:00.003-04:00

Starting pitcher candidate Brandon Beachy faced the Cardinals in a "B" game today and threw two scoreless innings allowing two hits, one walk and seven strikeouts

UPDATE: Here's a tweet from David O'Brien on Rodrigo Lopez's simulated game today

#Braves' Rodrigo Lopez in simulated game back at Orlando: 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts

Spring Training Game 18 Preview: Atlanta Braves @ St. Louis Cardinals

2011-03-14T11:41:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

David Ross - C

Brent Clevlen - RF

Mike Minor - P

ST. LOUIS

Ryan Theriot - SS

Allen Craig - RF

Albert Pujols - 1B

Matt Holliday - LF

David Freese - 3B

Colby Rasmus - CF

Gerald Laird - C

Skip Schumaker - 2B

Kyle Lohse - P

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: LHP Mike Minor (2010: 3-2, 5.98 ERA, 9 games, 8 starts, 40.2 IP, 43 K, 11 BB)

- He started off the spring with a strong outing against the Mets, retiring all six batters he faced. He followed that up with an appearance against the Blue Jays in which he continued to fall behind hitters. He finished three innings allowing just one run, but gave up five hits and walked two.

- Minor is coming off a strong performance in a B-game, in which he allowed one run in four innings and struck out seven batters.

STL: RHP Kyle Lohse (2010: 4-8, 6.55 ERA, 18 starts, 92 IP, 54 K, 35 BB)

- Lohse has allowed just two runs over seven innings with no walks and five strikeouts.

Pitching Plans For Monday

2011-03-13T14:52:00.003-04:00

From the comments section of David O'Brien's blog:

David O'Brien
March 13th, 2011
2:46 pm
On Monday, all three (ahem) fifth-starter candidates will pitch in separate games. Braves will start M.Minor in main game vs. St.L at Jupiter, and B. Beachy in “B” game vs. St.L. Meanwhile, R.Lopez will pitch in simulate game back at Dark Star and not make trip.

Spring Training Game 17 Preview: Houston Astros @ Atlanta Braves

2011-03-13T08:39:00.004-04:00

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzlaez - SS

Wilkin Ramirez - RF

Jair Jurrjens - P

HOUSTON

Michael Bourn - CF

Anderson Hernandez - 2B

Hunter Pence - RF

Carlos Lee - LF

Matt Downs - 1B

Oswaldo Navarro - 3B

Tommy Manzanella - SS

Humberto Quintero - C

Bud Norris - P

PITCHING MATCHUP

HOU: RHP Bud Norris (2010: 9-10, 4.92 ERA, 27 starts, 153.2 IP, 158 K, 77 BB)

- Spring Training stats: 4 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 K, BB, HR

ATL: RHP Jair Jurrjens (2010: 7-6, 4.64 ERA, 20 starts, 116.1 IP, 86 K, 42 BB)

- Jurrjens is coming off a four-inning effort against the Yankees in which he allowed four runs on six hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

- Jair has allowed six runs over nine innings this spring, with six hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

HOU: Brandon Lyon, Jeff Fulchino, Mark Melancon, Fernando Rodriguez, Henry Villar

ATL: Eric O'Flaherty, Craig Kimbrel, Scott Proctor, Cristhian Martinez

Game Recap: Atlanta 12, New York 0

2011-03-12T15:53:00.003-05:00

Here's the boxscore.

W:Hudson (1-0)

L: Dickey (0-2)

Player of the Game

David Ross (3-5, 2B, 5 RBI)

GAME NOTES

- Starter Tim Hudson was very good today. He continued to wear out the infield grass, inducing six groundouts and even managed four strikeouts. His location was a tad bit off, as he hung a couple and had to pitch around a few doubles, but ultimately pitched the way you would expect him to.

- David Ross had a big day with three hits and five RBI. He been scuffling so far so it's good to see him get some knocks.

- Chipper Jones reached base in all four plate appearances with two walks, two doubles, two runs and two RBI. Chipper hit both doubles batting left-handed, which had been causing him a little trouble this spring.

- Nate McLouth keeps raking and at this point, if healthy, it will be hard for him to lose the center-field job. He isn't just getting hits, but he's hitting line drives and he hasn't struck out all spring. Nate went 2-4 with two runs today after missing the last four games with a sore shoulder.

- Alex Gonzalez went 2-4 with a double, RBI and two runs.

- Jonny Venters pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning and has allowed only one hit in five innings this spring.

- According to David O'Brien the Braves have lowered their team ERA to 2.97 which is 2nd best in the NL behind the Giants.

NEXT GAME
RHP Jair Jurrjens takes the mound and will face the Houston Astros. Game time is 1:05.

Eric O'Flaherty Out With Back Tightness

2011-03-12T14:51:00.002-05:00

From David O'Brien's comments section on his blog:

O’Flaherty has had some back tightness, held out two days as precaution. Could pitch tomorrow.

O'Flaherty has thrown four scoreless innings this springs and has allowed just one hit and three walks. He has one K and a 10/1 GO/FO.

Spring Training Game 16 Preview: New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves

2011-03-12T08:52:00.005-05:00

LINEUPS

NEW YORK

Jose Reyes - SS

Willie Harris - LF

David Wright - 3B

Lucas Duda - RF

Nick Evans - 1B

Daniel Murphy - 2B

Mike Nickeas - C

Jason Pridie - CF

R.A. Dickey - P

ATLANTA

Nate McLouth - CF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Chipper Jones - 3B

Dan Uggla - 2B

Eric Hinske - 1B

David Ross - C

Matt Young - LF

Jordan Schafer - CF

Tim Hudson - P

PITCHING MATCHUP

NYM: RHP R.A. Dickey (11-9. 2.84 ERA, 27 games, 26 starts, 174.1 IP, 104 K, 42 BB)

- Dickey is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two spring starts.

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (17-9, 2.83 ERA, 34 starts, 228.2 IP, 139 K, 74 BB)

- Hudson has allowed two runs on six hits over five innings (two starts) this spring. Most of the damage against him has been on ground balls.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

NYM: Blaine Boyer, Ryota Igarashi, D.J. Carrasco, Pedro Beato

ATL: Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill, Peter Moylan, Jonny Venters, Jairo Ascencio

Spring Training Game 15 Preview: Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees

2011-03-11T09:22:00.002-05:00

Tommy Hanson looks to continue his great spring as he faces the Yankees. Kenshin Kawakami is schedule to make his spring debut today. (Update: His hometown was not affected by the earthquake/tsunami in Japan). Brian McCann makes his first start since coach Luis Salazar was hit in the head by a line-drive off McCann's bat.

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Brooks Conrad - 2B

Chipper Jones - DH

Brian McCann - C

Jason Heyward - RF

Ed Lucas - 3B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Jordan Schafer - CF

Diory Hernandez

NEW YORK

Derek Jeter - SS

Andruw Jones - LF

Mark Teixeira - 1B

Alex Rodriguez - 3B

Jorge Posada - DH

Eduardo Nunez - 2B

Alex Romine - C

Justin Maxwell - RF

Austin Krum - CF

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (2010: 10-11, 3.33 ERA, 34 starts, 202.2 IP, 173 K, 56 BB)

NYY: RHP Phillip Hughes (2010: 18-8, 4.19 ERA, 31 starts, 29 games, 176.1 IP, 146 K, 58 BB)

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

ATL: Kenshin Kawakami, Eric O'Flaherty, Scott Proctor, Craig Kimbrel

NYY: Steve Garrison, Rafael Soriano, Joba Chamberlain, Pedro Feliciano

Game Recap: Atlanta 2, St. Louis 1

2011-03-10T16:04:00.002-05:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Abreu (1-0)

L: Tallet (0-1)

S: Abreu (1)

Player of the Game

Martin Prado (2-2, BB, R, SB)

GAME NOTES

- Derek Lowe continued his dominant spring with four shutout innings. He walked one, allowed two hits and struck out four. He has pitched a total of nine innings this spring and still hasn't allowed a run.

- Martin Prado was the only Atlanta hitter to record multiple hits with two infield singles and a walk.

- Jason Heyward reached base twice with a walk and a double to the right-center warning track.

- Julio Teheran was re-assigned to minor league camp after the game, but he pitched the ninth inning today and allowed only a single in his scoreless frame.

Braves Announce First Round Of Cuts

2011-03-10T15:59:00.004-05:00

The Braves made their first round of cuts today. Here is the list:

- Re-assinged to minor league camp: RHPs Michael Broadway, Jay Sborz, Julio Teheran and Ardoys Vizcaino, LHP Brett Oberholtzer, Cs Christian Bethancourt, Braeden Schlehuber and Jesus Sucre, INF Tyler Pastornicky and OF Mycal Jones.

- Optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett: RHP Erik Cordier and LHPs Lee Hyde and Jose Ortegano

- Optioned to Double-A Mississippi: RHP Randall Delgado

Spring Training Game 14 Preview: St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves

2011-03-10T11:51:00.002-05:00

LINEUPS

ST LOUIS

Skip Schumaker - 2B

Ryan theriot - SS

Matt Carpneter - 3B

Matt Holliday - LF

Mark Hamilton - 1B

Allen Craig - RF

John Jay - CF

Gerald Laird - C

Kyle McClellan - SP

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Alex Gonzlaez - SS

Jason Heyward - RF

Dan Uggla - 2B

Freddie Freeman - 1B

David Ross - C

Joe Mather - 3B

Wilkin Ramirez - CF

Derek Lowe - SP

PITCHING MATCHUP

STL: RHP Kyle McClellan (2010: 1-4, 2.27 ERA, 68 games, 0 starts, 75.1 IP, 60 K, 23 BB)

- McClellan was very good in his first start of the spring, going three innings and allowing no runs, two hits and striking out three.
ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (2010: 16-12, 4.00 ERA, 33 starts, 193.2 IP, 136 K, 61 BB)

- Lowe has thrown five scoreless frames in two starts this spring. He has struck out two to go along with two hits allowed and two walks.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

STL: Bryan Augenstein, Brian Tallet, Trever Miller, Adam Reifer, Blake King

ATL: Scott Linebrink, Stephen Marek, Cristhian Martinez, Juan Abreu, Julio Teheran

Spring Training Game 12 Preview: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves

2011-03-08T09:21:00.004-05:00

LINEUPS

Brett Gardner - LF

Nick Swisher - RF

Curtis Granderson - CF

Jorge Posada - DH

Jesus Montero - C

Jorge Vazquez - 1B

Eduardo Nunez - 2B

Brandon Laird - 3B

Ramiro Pena - SS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jordan Schafer - CF

Chipper Jones - DH

Dan Uggla - 2B

Eric Hinske - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

David Ross - C

Matt Young - RF

Shawn Bowman - 3B

PITCHING MATCHUP

NYY: RHP Freddy Garcia (2010: 12-6, 4.64 ERA, 28 starts, 157 IP, 89 K, 45 BB)

- In his only appearance of the spring, Garcia allowed two hits over two shutout innings and struck out one.

ATL: RHP Jair Jurrjens (2010: 7-6, 4.64 ERA, 20 starts, 116.1 IP, 86 K, 42 BB)

- This spring, Jurrjens has allowed two runs and five hits over five innings. He has two strikeouts and no walks.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

NYY: Dellin Betances, David Robertson , Robert Fish, Warner Madrigal, Andrew Brackman

ATL: Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill, Peter Moylan, Scott Proctor, Craig Kimbrel

Game Recap: Marlins 4, Atlanta 3

2011-03-07T17:18:00.003-05:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Koehler (1-0)

L: Ortegano (0-1)

Player of the Game

Nate McLouth (1-2, HR, R, RBI)

GAME NOTES

- Hudson didn't have his best stuff today, but he did his usual thing by keeping the ball on the ground. Of the four hits against him only one was in the air and six of his nine outs were on the ground. He walked two and struck out while allowing one earned over three innings.

- It's time for McLouth to stop wasting all of his bullets in spring training because the guy won't stop raking. He hit a no-doubt solo homer over the right field wall in the sixth inning off of Leo Nunez and his spring average now sits at .467.

- Julio Teheran made his first appearance with the Braves, pitching an inning and allowing two singles to go along with one strikeout.

- Randall Delgado pitched a scoreless inning and had two strikeouts.

- Freddie Freeman had another big day going 3-3 with three singles, one to each field.

- Ed Lucas had another clutch hit today with a game-tying RBI triple in the 9th inning.

- Lucas, Freeman and Prado (2-4) all reached base multiple times.

- Jose Ortegano had another rough outing and took the loss, giving up a walk-off single in the ninth. To put it in the words of David O'Brien; he has not impressed this spring.

NEXT GAME

Jair Jurrjens will take the hill for the Braves as they face Freddy Garcia and the Yankees. Chipper Jones is expected to return to the lineup at 3B. The game can be seen on MLB Network, though it will be on a tape-delay.

Spring Training Game 11 Preview: Atlanta Braves @ Florida Marlins

2011-03-07T10:13:00.003-05:00

Fredi Gonzalez will face his former team for the fist time this spring as the Braves travel to Jupiter to take on the Marlins. Dan Uggla will have to wait to see his former teammates as he stayed back at Disney. In what would be an outstanding pitchers duel to watch during the regular season, Tim Hudson will face Josh Johnson in a battle of aces. Chipper Jones gets the day off.

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 3B

Nate McLouth - CF

Jason Heyward - RF

Brian McCann - C

Eric Hinske - LF

Freddie Freeman - 1B
Ed Lucas - 2B

Diory Hernandez - SS

Tim Hudson - P

FLORIDA

Chris Coghlan - CF

Omar Infante - 2B

Hanley Ramirez - SS

John Buck - C

Logan Morrison - LF

Wes Helms -1B

Scott Cousins - RF

Donnie Murphy - 2B
Josh Johnson

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Tim Hudson (2010: 17-9, 2.83 ERA, 34 starts, 228.2 IP, 139 K, 74 BB)

- In his only other start of the spring, Hudson allowed one run on two hits and a walk over two innings.

FLA: RHP Josh Johnson (2010: 11-6, 2.39 ERA, 28 starts, 183.2 IP, 186 K, 48 BB)

- Johnson was roughed up for five runs (four earned) on five hits over 1 2/3 innings in his only start of the spring. He also walked one and struck out one.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

ATL: Eric O'Flaherty, Cory Gearrin, Anthony Varvaro, Stephen Marek, Juan Abreu

FLA: Clay Hensley, Leon Nunez, Dustin Richardson, Tom Koehler

Game Recap: Atlanta 5, Washington 0

2011-03-06T17:18:00.002-05:00

Here's the boxscore.

W: Hanson (2-0)

L: Detwiler (1-1)

Player of the Game

Atlanta Pitching Staff (9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, 9 K)

GAME NOTES

- Tommy Hanson was outstanding again. He has now pitched five innings this spring and hasn't allowed a run. Today he threw three innings allowing no hits and a just one walk. He struck out one batter.

- RHP Cristhian Martinez is pitching his way into contention for the final bullpen spot. He tossed two innings today allowing one of the Nats two hits. What was impressive about his outing was his five strikeouts. All five batters that struck out were caught looking. Martinez did an outstanding job of painting the outside corner and had impressive command.

- Chipper Jones went 1-3 with a run scored and his first double of the spring.

- Jason Heyward and Dan Uggla were the only Atlanta hitters to reach base twice. Good news today on Heyward in his first game back as he tested his groin early trying to score at home (he was thrown out) and managed to make it through the game seemingly without problems.

- Arodys Vizcaino pitched an inning and looked as advertised, striking out one batter with a filthy curve ball.

NEXT GAME

The Braves will send Tim Hudson to the mound to face Josh Johnson and the Marlins in a nice three-inning pitchers duel. Game time is 1:05 p.m.

Spring Training Game 10 Preview: Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals

2011-03-06T11:12:00.003-05:00

The Braves travel to Viera, Florida to face the Nationals and will send Tommy Hanson to the mound for his second start of the spring. Jason Heyward makes his return to the lineup after missing three games with a sore groin.

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Jordan Schafer - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Dan Uggla - 2B

Jason Heyward - RF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Freddie Freeman - 1B

David Ross - C

Tommy Hanson - P

WASHINGTON

Nyjer Morgan - CF

Ian Desmond - SS

Jason Werth - RF

Rick Ankiel - DH

Wilson Ramos - C

Lance Nix - LF

Danny Espinosa - 2B

Michael Aubrey - 1B

Alex Cora - 3B

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: RHP Tommy Hanson (2010: 10-11, 3.33 ERA, 34 starts, 202.2 IP, 173 K, 56 BB)

- In his only start of the spring, Hanson shutout the Astros over two innings. He allowed two hits and struck out one.

WAS: LHP Ross Detwiler (2010: 1-3, 4.25 ERA, 8 games, 5 starts, 29.2 IP, 17 K, 14 BB)

- In his only appearance of the spring, Detwiler allowed no runs on two hits over two innings. He struck out three batters.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

ATL: Jonny Venters, Cristhian Martinez, Arodys Vizcaino, Jairo Asencio, Lee Hyde, Jose Ortegano

WAS: J.D. Martin, Todd Coffey, Doug Slaten, Ryan Mattheus

Spring Training Game 9 Preview: New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves

2011-03-05T11:02:00.003-05:00

The Mets come to Disney to face the Braves who notched a win and a loss in yesterday's split-squad action. Chipper Jones returns to 3B and Eric Hinske is back in the lineup after being scratched yesterday with a sore calf. Jason Heyward misses his third straight game with a sore groin, but expects to play tomorrow.

LINEUPS

NEW YORK

Jose Reyes - SS

Willie Harris - CF

David Wright - 3B

Ike Davis - 1B

Nate Evans - LF

Fernando Martinez - RF

Brad Emaus - 2B

Josh Thole - C

Mike Pelfrey - SP

ATLANTA

Nate McLouth - CF

Joe Mather - LF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Dan Uggla - 2B

Eric Hinske - 1B

Ed Lucas - SS

Jordan Schafer - RF
Derek Lowe - SP

PITCHING MATCHUP

NYM: RHP Mike Pelfrey (2010: 15-9, 3.66 ERA, 34 games, 33 starts, 204 IP, 113 BB, 68 K)

- Pelfrey allowed two runs (one earned) over three innings in his lone appearance of the spring. He allowed five hits and recorded one strikeout.

ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (2010: 16-12, 4.00 ERA, 33 starts, 193.2 IP, 136 BB, 61 K)

- In his last start, Lowe allowed two hits over two shutout innings.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

NYM: Tim Byrdak, Mike O'Connor, Pedro Beato, Blaine Boyer, Bobby Parnell, Dillon Gee

ATL: Scott Proctor, Anthony Varvaro, Stephen Merek, Randall Delgado

Spring Training Game 7&8 Preview: Blue Jays @ Braves & Braves @ Nationals

2011-03-04T12:17:00.002-05:00

The Braves will play the Blue Jays in Orlando and the Nationals in Viera. Mike Minor gets the start against Toronto while Brandon Beachy faces Washington. Jason Heyward is still out with a sore groin and Eric Hinske was scratched with strained left calf. Chipper will DH in Orlando.

LINEUPS

TORONTO

Rajai Davis - CF

Yunel Escobar - SS

Jose Bautista - 3B

Edwin Encarnacion - 1B

Cory Patterson - LF

J.C. Arencebia - DH

Jose Molina - C

Mike McCoy - 2B

Darin Mastroianni - RF

ATLANTA

Mycal Jones - CF

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Chipper Jones - DH

Dan Uggla - 2B

Todd Cunningham - LF

Joe Mather - 1B

David Ross - C

Brent Clevlen - RF

Brandon Hicks - 3B

PITCHING MATCHUP

TOR: RHP Jesse Litsch (2010: 1-5, 5.79 ERA, 9 starts, 46.2 IP, 16 K, 15 BB

- In his last appearance, Litsch allowed just one hit over two innings and struck out one.

ATL: Mike Minor (2010:3-2, 5.98 ERA, 8 starts, 9 games, 40.2 IP, 43 K, 11 BB)

- In his last appearance, Minor retired all six batters he faced throwing 10 strikes in 11 pitches.

SCHEDULED PITCHERS

TOR: Marc Rzepczynski, David Purcey, Josh Roenicke, Luis Perez, Alan Farina, Joel Carreno

ATL: Rodrigo Lopez, George Sherrill, Scott Linebrink, Peter Moylan, Eric O'Flaherty

LINEUPS

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - 3B

Nate McLouth - CF

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Brian McCann - C

Wilkin Ramirez - DH

Jordan Schafer - RF

Brooks Conrad - 2B

Diory Hernandez - 3B

Matt Young - LF

WASHINGTON

Nyjer Morgan - CF

Roger Bernadina - LF

Jayson Werth - RF

Ryan Zimmerman - 3B

Adam LaRoche - DH

Wilson Ramos - C

Danny Espnisa - 2B

Alberto Gonzalez - SS

Chris Marrero - 1B

Jason Marquis - P

PITCHING MATCHUP

ATL: Brandon Beachy (2010: 0-2, 3.00 ERA, 3 starts, 15 IP, 15 K, 7 BB)

- Beachy threw two innings in his last appearance allowing two runs on three hits and three strikeouts.

WAS: RHP Jason Marquis (2010: 2-9, 6.60 ERA, 13 starts, 58.2 IP, 31 K, 24 BB)

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

ATL: Craig Kimbrel, Juan Abreu, Brett Oberholtzer

WAS: Brian Broderick, Collin Balester, Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen and Cole Kimball

Game Recap: Atlanta 4, Detroit 3

2011-03-03T18:29:00.004-05:00

Matt Young hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th as the Braves defeated the Tigers 4-3.

Here's the boxscore

W: Delgado (1-0)

L: Oxspring (0-1)

Player of the Game

Chipper Jones (1-2, R, didn't hurt himself)

GAME NOTES

- Jair Jurrjens had a decent outing overall. He gave up a couple hard hit balls, including a bomb by Brandon Boesch but he threw strikes and didn't walk anybody. We are still at that stage where all you want from these guys is the ability to stay in the zone. Movement and velocity aren't all that important for most of the pitchers.

- Chipper started his first game at 3B in seven months and came out healthy. We still need to see how he feels tomorrow but it's a big step for Hoss. As someone who has come back from a major knee injury I can tell you that the confidence boost you get from just getting back out there can make a big difference.

- Freddie Freeman and Martin Prado were the only players to reach base twice.

- Randall Delgado made his spring training debut, giving up one run in 9th inning. He started off well but the last few batters squared the ball up pretty well. I'm looking forward to seeing more from him.

Spring Training Game 6 Preview: Detroit Tigers @ Atlanta Braves

2011-03-03T10:18:00.002-05:00

The Braves are riding a three-game winning streak and welcome the Tigers to Disneyverse. Chipper Jones will get his first start at 3B while Jason Heyward is getting a couple days off to rest his sore groin. After being treated to two innings from prospect Arodys Vizcaino yesterday, fans will get a look at Randall Delgado who is expected to pitch today. Game time is 1:05 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN.

LINEUPS

DETROIT

Austin Jackson - CF

Will Rhymes - 2B

Maglio Ordonez - DH

Miguel Cabrera - 1B

Victor Martinez - C

Johnny Peralta - SS

Brandon Inge - 3B

Brandon Boesch - LF

Clete Thomas -RF

ATLANTA

Martin Prado - LF

Nate McLouth - CF

Chipper Jones - 3B

Brian McCann - C

Freddie Freeman - 1B

Alex Gonzalez - SS

Eric Hinske - DH

Brooks Conrad - 2B

Jose Costanza - RF

PITCHING MATCHUP

DET: RHP Max Scherzer - (2010: 12-11, 3.50 ERA, 31 starts, 195.2 IP, 184 K, 70 BB)

- Scherzer threw two scoreless innings in his spring debut, allowing 0 hits, 1 BB and 0 K.

ATL: RHP Jair Jurrjens - (2010: 7-6, 4.64, 20 starts, 116.1 IP, 86 K, 42 BB)

- Jurrjens is coming off a two-inning outing against the Mets, allowing no runs on two hits and a strikeout.

SCHEDULED RELIEVERS

DET: Ryan Perry, Robbie Weinhardt, Brendan Wise, Adam Wilk and Alberto Alburquerque

ATL: Jonny Venters, Cory Gearrin, Stephen Marek, Randall Delgado

Injury Update

2011-03-02T21:47:00.003-05:00

The Braves have been lucky in regards to the lack of traffic going in and out of the trainer's room this spring. Here's an update on the injured players so far:

Jason Heyward - Heyward left Wednesday's game with a sore left groin. He said he's been dealing with it for a day or two and after feeling it pop up today he didn't want to take any risks. He won't be in the game tomorrow.

Jordan Schafer - Schafer left Wednesday's game after rolling his ankle returning to first base on a single. He said that it isn't serious.

Chipper Jones - Jones has had a couple of self-described "terrible days" since the start of camp and has had general soreness in the knee. A lot of fans are already figuring 2011 to be another injury filled year for Chipper, and maybe it will be. But what fans need to realize is when someone has major knee surgery they are going to have bad days, especially at the age of 38. The next step for Chipper is to play in the field, which he hopes to do on Friday. We will have to wait and see how his knee responds on Saturday and Sunday.

Julio Teheran - Teheran experienced back spasms 5-6 days ago but is pitching again and will likely make his first appearance on Friday.